Hommam Al Nassim 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has placed his country in a new impasse, after the impasse that caused the current war, following his clinging to power illegally and in violation of his country’s constitution and international conventions, following the end of his term on the twentieth of this month, and his clinging to power without organizing new elections in the country.
The Ukrainian parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held at the end of last October, and the presidential elections were scheduled to take place on March 31, but the parliamentary elections were postponed after the extension of the state of mobilization and war last August, and later, the presidential elections were postponed with the extension of the state of emergency twice, on February 13 and this May 10, each One of them is a period of 90 days, bearing in mind that the Ukrainian Constitution does not clearly prohibit holding presidential elections under martial law, and clearly stipulates in Article 103 that the duration of the presidential term is five years, without any clause allowing the extension of this period.
In the absence of any legal provision that allows the president in Ukraine to extend his rule, Zelensky’s continued rule is considered illegal, and all agreements that he signs after the end of his term are considered illegitimate and not recognized according to international conventions.
Before Ukraine entered this crisis, the United States of America tried to overcome the problem by pushing Zelensky to hold presidential elections, during a meeting between the latter and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, last September. Likewise, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Tiny Cox, called for it in May of the year. Last, Ukrainians decided to organize parliamentary elections as scheduled in October 2023, and later presidential elections. Cox said, at the time, that “Ukraine must organize free and fair elections, because this is your (Ukrainians) obligation under the Charter of the Council of Europe.”
A number of European and American officials stressed, more than once, that adhering to the election dates will allow Ukraine to maintain the image of a democratic state, and in this case, it will be easier for Western politicians to agree on new aid packages. Last August, US Senator Lindsey Graham spoke publicly about the desires of the American establishment during his visit to Kiev, stressing that “the time has come for Ukraine to take the next step in establishing democracy and holding elections in 2024.”
Despite all of the above, Zelensky insisted on continuing the status quo in what could be interpreted as fear of the expected results of these elections, which will certainly topple him, due to the conditions his country has reached as a result of the policy he followed, in which he put the interest of the West over the interest of his country, and he said in A video recording of the elections being held “is not appropriate,” as he put it.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service published a detailed report on the internal situation in Ukraine, showing “the decline in Volodymyr Zelensky’s popularity level to 17%, as this trend continues to decline.”
The report said, “More than 70% of the population has lost confidence in government institutions and the Ukrainian media, and about 90% of citizens want to leave the country… Things in the army are not better.”
In this context, the Russian position confirming Zelensky’s illegitimacy seems natural and consistent with international conventions, as Russian President Vladimir Putin stated, during a press conference in China, that the issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy after the end of his term must be answered by the Ukrainian political and legal system itself.
It is noteworthy that Zelensky’s team refrained from requesting advice from the Ukrainian Constitutional Court to decide on the legality of postponing the elections and the legitimacy of the president after the end of his term.
Earlier, the head of the “Another Ukraine” movement and former leader of the “Opposition Platform – For Life” party, Viktor Medvedchuk, said that Vladimir Zelensky, according to the constitution, will not be the legitimate president of Ukraine after May 21.
Medvedchuk said in an interview with TASS, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the tragedy at the trade union headquarters in Odessa: “According to the Ukrainian constitution, after May 21, Zelensky will not be able to perform his duties as president, but how long has he been implementing the law?”
In turn, former Ukrainian parliamentarian Igor Mosychuk said in an interview on YouTube that Zelensky’s legitimacy had ended, which was also confirmed by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.
The American newspaper “The Washington Post” said in an article that “Under the current circumstances, the head of the Kiev regime can be accused of undermining democracy in Ukraine,” and continued, “Due to the conditions of war and the adoption of martial law, the administration of the Ukrainian president has become an unconventional authority,” and added. “There will be great questioning of the legitimacy of the president and his chief of staff, after Zelensky’s term ends on May 20.”
In an attempt to avoid the crisis, the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine issued a decision on February 22, in which it confirmed that Zelensky enjoys legitimacy after May 20, 2024. It indicated that its decision is based on the fact that “according to the constitution, the president continues his duties until a new president is sworn in, and he cannot He transfers his powers to another person during this period, except in specific cases: resignation, death, health condition, or isolation. The committee said that the Ukrainian Supreme Rada (parliament) should set a date for the elections immediately after the end of the war.
The Electoral Commission explained that Zelensky will officially become the acting president. But Ukrainian lawyers and legislators insist that the Speaker of Parliament is the one authorized to temporarily assume power until the next elections, and they cite what happened in the spring of 2014 after the departure of former President Viktor Yunukovych. At that time, Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov served as acting president, then handed over power to Poroshenko, the winner of the election. Subsequent presidential elections.
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, warned last March that “the unilateral decision taken by the dictator of Kiev not to hold presidential elections for fear of apparently losing them, which was taken in violation of the Ukrainian constitution, makes it illegal as of May 21 (current) He said, “The question that arises is: Who is represented now?” Who should we negotiate with and when, if necessary?
Increase in gas production in Russia in the first quarter of 2024