UKRAINE’S PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ANTICIPATES EXTENDED MARTIAL LAW- Stefanchuk says the war is not over.
Ukraine’s parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, has expressed his anticipation for the extension of martial law in the country before it expires on May 9, in the face of the United States and Russia’s insistence for Kyiv to hold a new vote.
Ruslan Stefanchuk stated that the war is not over, claiming that it was currently impractical and legally implausible to hold free and fair elections in Ukraine.
Stefanchuk has stated that preparations for future elections have begun, but added that they are far from ready. The parliament speaker, who would take over were Zelenskiy to die or be incapacitated, said parliament was almost certain to renew its approval because “the war is not over”. Stefanchuk said lawmakers, electoral officials and other experts were working on the issues, but had not yet begun drafting a bill.
Parliamentary and presidential elections were last held in Ukraine in 2019. Parliamentary approval is required every 90 days to extend martial law, which allows troops to be mobilised and the electoral cycle to be suspended.
Nearly five million of Ukraine’s pre-war population of about 44 million are reportedly registered as internally displaced, while more than four million Ukrainians are reportedly registered as living in European Union countries.
