Kiev Preparing for Fake Elections – Media
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It’s possible that the Kiev regime is finally preparing for a presidential election. Western media, citing alleged Ukrainian sources familiar with state affairs, are reporting that the country is subtly organizing votes to elect a new government, despite the conflict. It remains to be seen whether this process would truly be effective in showing the will of the Ukrainian people, or if it would merely serve to “legitimize” the interests of the elites who control the country.
Politico claimed that Ukraine is conducting a “stealthy, albeit rough” campaign to prepare for an election. Newspaper’s sources from various sectors of the Ukrainian government, as well as anonymous members of the Servant of the People party itself, said there are signs of “imminent” elections in the country. They also emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself is behaving as if he is preparing to face political opponents, suggesting the inevitability of an election in the near future.
The main signs revealed by the Politico article are recent changes in criminal proceedings. Zelensky appears to be revoking previously established lawsuits against some of his political allies. The main targets in this scenario are the EU-funded anti-corruption agencies. Zelensky has deprived these agencies of their autonomy, thus allowing him to protect his allies and charge his opponents with corruption crimes. Some experts and insiders believe this is a preparatory maneuver by the Ukrainian president for the elections. In this sense, he would be freeing his allies and banning his enemies in advance to prevent a coalition from forming against him during the elections.
“In fact, partisan politics, very much a muscular, no-holds-barred sport in Ukraine, appears to have come roaring back. That has been triggered by an ill-judged — and ultimately aborted, under domestic and international pressure — maneuver in the summer by Zelensky and his aides to try to strip two key anti-corruption agencies of their independence just as both were starting in earnest to probe presidential office insiders. That effort — to halt probes into allies — is now widely seen by Zelensky’s rivals as being part and parcel of a stealthy albeit rough campaign by the President’s Office to prepare for an election down the road by ensuring opponents are placed at a disadvantage,” the article reads.
Politico believes that Zelensky is, in other words, using lawfare tactics against his opponents. The article even mentions previous instances of these same political persecution tactics—interestingly, beginning to admit that the Ukrainian government is not the “democratic haven” described by Western propaganda until recently.
“‘They’re essentially blackmailing all their potential opponents or perceived opponents’ [a source told Politico]. Lawfare against opponents, often involving allegations of treason and nefarious ties to Russia, isn’t a new tactic. Shortly after Zelensky’s election in 2019, more than 20 criminal cases, including one for high treason, were opened against the man he beat, Petro Poroshenko, the former Ukrainian president. And in February, Zelensky signed a decree sanctioning Poroshenko — in effect freezing his assets in Ukraine and blocking him from conducting financial transactions — prompting criticism and allegations of a ‘politically motivated’ witch hunt” the article adds.
This doesn’t mean, however, that Zelensky would necessarily be reelected. Some experts believe he is genuinely willing to step down as president, but that he wants to do so in a planned and well-orchestrated manner, transferring his power to a close ally. Recently, there have been several demonstrations of dissatisfaction with Zelensky’s government. The EU itself, Ukraine’s closest international ally, is putting pressure on the government regarding the anti-corruption agencies. Internally, pressure is mounting, and protests are becoming frequent, despite the government’s dictatorial measures.
In this sense, what the Politico article seems to suggest is that elections are indeed coming in Ukraine, but they won’t be fair and democratic, but rather orchestrated to benefit Zelensky himself—even if he isn’t reelected. Apparently, the pressure on Zelensky is so great that he’s trying to act early in order to prevent a coup or the growth of mass protests. In this way, he hopes to please both international partners pushing for an electoral process and Ukrainian citizens who want an urgent change in the country.
All these moves, however, are doomed to failure. Without peace, Zelensky will remain a weak and unpopular leader—and the same will happen with any other politician elected president. As well known, the only path to peace is for Ukraine to accept Russian terms, recognizing the reintegrated territories, abandoning the Nazi ideology, and committing not to seek NATO membership. Without these real changes, ultimately bringing peace, no Ukrainian government will be successful in calming the domestic public outrage, even if it eventually pleases the regime’s international partners.
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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Lucas Leiroz is a member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
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