«Victory first»: Dombrovska on possible elections in Ukraine

Mykolaiv City Council Member Tetiana Dombrovska at the forum «Democratic Resilience of Ukraine during the War and Recovery». Photo: Facebook

Tetiana Dombrovska, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council from the «Servant of the People» party, spoke about the appropriateness of elections during the war, stressing that the main priority now is Ukraine's victory.

She wrote about this on her Facebook page.

She said that on 12 February she took part in the forum «Democratic Resilience of Ukraine during the War and Recovery», organised by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in cooperation with the network «ANTS» and OPORA.

The main topics covered were the role of political parties in recovery, cooperation between civil society and the government, and the challenges of the first post-war elections.

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Oleksandr Sienkevych, the mayor of Mykolaiv, was scheduled to speak on the initial programme, but he was unable to attend. The forum was also attended by the ambassadors of the UK, Canada, the EU and the US, members of the Verkhovna Rada and political leaders, as well as representatives of the Central Election Commission.

«I took part in the forum, where together with representatives of political parties, local governments, civil society and international partners, we discussed the challenges for Ukrainian democracy. The key thesis was: victory first, elections second. Political parties should act as a united front, because the fight for Ukraine is more important than any party interests,» wrote Tetiana Dombrovska.

Tetiana Dombrovska cited the example of the Mykolaiv City Council, where political disputes faded into the background after the start of the full-scale invasion, and the deputies united to help the city and support Ukrainians.

«A striking example is the Mykolaiv City Council. Before the war, political differences were palpable, but after the full-scale invasion, everyone united to help the city, support the people and win Ukraine. At critical moments, party flags disappear - there is only one, the Ukrainian flag. Ukraine must not only survive on the battlefield, but also maintain its democratic stability. This is possible only through consolidation, dialogue and shared responsibility for the future!», the MP said.

Elections during the war

As you know, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that elections in Ukraine are very important, but they can only be held after the hot phase of the war is over and martial law is lifted. He also said that he does not yet know whether he will run in the next election. According to him, everything will depend on the development of the situation in the country and the end of the war.

However, US Presidential Special Envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian War Keith Kellogg said that Ukraine should be ready to hold elections, as it is «a sign of a healthy democracy».

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko also suggested that the fighting could end in two to three months, but that political processes in the country have already been launched. He says that «everyone is already running somewhere, everyone is talking about some kind of elections, and at this time our heroes are dying».

At the same time, the head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitalii Kim, believes that elections are not needed during the war, but he does not rule out running for office if they are held.

Earlier, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, expressed the opinion that elections could take place in the event of a truce and the end of martial law in Ukraine this year.

At the same time, he is wary of the possible establishment of military rule in Ukraine.