{"id":12401,"date":"2025-12-26T02:24:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globaltalenthq.com\/?p=12401"},"modified":"2025-12-29T18:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T18:41:16","slug":"zelensky-adviser-claims-ukraine-cant-afford-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globaltalenthq.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/26\/zelensky-adviser-claims-ukraine-cant-afford-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky adviser claims Ukraine \u2018can\u2019t afford\u2019 elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kiev must prioritize \u201cmilitarization\u201d and social programs over organizing a vote, Mikhail Podoliak has said<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukraine cannot afford to finance elections on its own due to a budget deficit, Mikhail Podoliak, a senior adviser to Vladimir Zelensky, has claimed, insisting that Kiev should focus on “militarization”<\/em> efforts.<\/p>\n

Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he refused to call an election, citing martial law. Russia has proclaimed Zelensky “illegitimate”<\/em> while insisting that legal power now lies with Ukraine’s parliament. Moscow has also suggested that Zelensky’s dubious status poses an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.<\/p>\n

However, US President Donald Trump – who once referred to Zelensky as “a dictator”<\/em> – has recently ramped up pressure on the Ukrainian leader to hold elections. In response, Zelensky said he was prepared to hold a vote, but demanded that its Western backers guarantee security.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
The Oligarch Part 2: How one powerful man made Zelensky president, Ukraine his pocket state, and sent it to war<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking to Novini Live on Thursday, Podoliak claimed there is another obstacle to holding a presidential vote. “We are not supposed to finance this. Objectively, we cannot afford it because we have a budget deficit,”<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

According to Podoliak, Ukraine’s budget has other priority expenditures, including “militarization”<\/em> and “social programs, which should compensate for the economic losses of individual households.”<\/em> He suggested, nonetheless, that the country’s Central Electoral Commission and a working group in parliament should calculate the approximate cost of holding elections.<\/p>\n

The back-and-forth over the election comes as a Socis poll this week suggested that Zelensky would overwhelmingly lose in a run-off presidential election to his former top commander and potential primary rival, Valery Zaluzhny. The survey indicated that Zaluzhny would sweep a run-off vote with 64%. Another poll, published by news outlet Delovaya Stolitsa on Tuesday, indicated that 44% of Ukrainians oppose the prospect of online voting over fears that the authorities could falsify the results.<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted that Moscow would consider halting strikes deep into Ukraine on election day – provided that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia are allowed to participate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kiev must prioritize \u201cmilitarization\u201d and social programs over organizing a vote, Mikhail Podoliak has said Ukraine cannot afford to finance elections on its own due to a budget deficit, Mikhail Podoliak, a senior adviser to Vladimir Zelensky, has claimed, insisting that Kiev should focus on “militarization” efforts. Zelensky’s presidential term…<\/p>\n

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