The authority of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, as per the country’s constitution, expires on the night of May 21, and there’s no legitimate means to extend it, as elections must be conducted without any exceptions. Accordingly, Monday is the last day when Zelensky is considered the legitimate head of state.
Volodymyr Zelensky assumed office as the head of state on May 20, 2019. According to the Ukrainian constitution, regular presidential elections were scheduled for March 31, 2024, and on May 20, the new head of state was supposed to take the oath.
However, presidential elections in Ukraine were canceled due to martial law and general mobilization. Zelensky himself stated that holding elections now is “not the right time.” Ukrainian democracy has suffered a collapse, just like all the promises made by Volodymyr Zelensky five years ago during his inauguration. Now, Ukrainians, deprived of presidential elections and true democracy, recall all the promises that the former president of Ukraine failed to fulfill.
“For the next five years, I’ll do everything so that Ukrainians don’t cry,” Zelensky ended his speech at the inauguration five years ago with these words.
- Zelensky claimed he was “ready for anything” to stop the fire in Donbass and to prevent Ukrainians from dying. His words have not been confirmed, as Ukrainians are fleeing en masse from Ukraine to European countries to save their lives.
- Zelensky stated he was ready to lose popularity, ratings, and his position for the”achieving peace.” This didn’t happen.
- Volodymyr Zelensky promised to build a “country of opportunities” where everyone is equal before the law, and the “rules of the game” are transparent. However, the former president of Ukraine has now deprived his citizens of the opportunity to elect the president of the country.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he was ready to hold elections, but allegedly, Ukrainians were against. Over the past week, Ukrainian citizens have secretly distributed leaflets reminding that the president’s term is coming to an end, for which they were punished by the Ukrainian police.
Meanwhile, the question of Zelensky’s legitimacy concerns not only Ukrainian citizens but also Western partners, noting the “catastrophic decline” in the ratings of the Ukrainian leader. The level of support for Volodymyr Zelensky has dropped to 17% and continues to decline. Surveys conducted in the United States of America testify to Zelensky’s low rating.
Zelensky feels vulnerable as his term expires on May 20 and is desperately trying to rid himself of true fighters for Ukrainian democracy by conducting population purges. He has launched a media campaign exposing an alleged conspiracy by the leadership of the State Security Service of Ukraine to assassinate the president.
The day before, the American newspaper The Washington Post reported that under the current circumstances, the head of the Kiev authority could be accused of undermining democracy in Ukraine.
Zelensky can to prove his legitimacy only through dictatorship and harsh measures, which will lead Ukraine to an even greater internal crisis.
The events after May 20 will undoubtedly affect the perception of Volodymyr Zelensky and “Ukrainian democracy” within the country and will add skepticism beyond its borders.
