Editor’s Note: This op-ed was first published by the Ukrainian NGO Civil Network OPORA as an open statement, which garnered nearly 300 signatures at the time it was published by the Kyiv Independent. Democracy during wartime must be protected even more than in peacetime, as the consequences of mistakes
"The legitimacy of the Ukrainian government is the exclusive prerogative of the Ukrainian people," the statement read.
"A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast, or he won’t have a country left," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had imposed sanctions against the official leader of the opposition, ex-President Petro Poroshenko. The following decree was published on Feb. 13. Despite the official reasoning given by the country's Security Service being high treason committed a decade ago, the unilateral sanctions imposed on the former president have
Far-right opposition parties submitted an initiative to the Romanian parliament to impeach the president, as Klaus Iohannis remained in office longer than the prescribed term after the results of the country's first round of presidential election had been annulled.
"You're gonna reach a point where they're gonna have to have elections ... That doesn't mean Zelensky should leave," Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
Members of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party voted to revoke the mandates of 49 opposition parliamentarians on Feb. 5 after they refused to take their seats, citing concerns over the legitimacy of the results of the October parliamentary election.
The U.S. hasn't yet discussed with Ukraine the necessity of holding elections by the end of 2025, according to Oksana Markarova.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done."
Georgia withdrew its delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Jan. 29 after the Assembly passed a resolution calling for Tbilisi to hold new parliamentary elections.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko turned the country's presidential election into "a one-man political show," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 27.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself the victor in the country's latest so-called presidential elections on Jan. 26, in which no political opposition was allowed to take part. The country's authorities claim Lukashenko won 86.82% of the vote, securing a seventh consecutive term in power. Despite international condemnation and
"The elections in Belarus were transparent and absolutely legitimate. Moscow does not take into account the expected criticism of the elections in Belarus in the West," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself president for his seventh consecutive term in an election internationally deemed as neither free nor fair.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly secured 86.82% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the country’s Central Election Commission.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Jan. 27-Feb. 2. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. The 9-year terms of three Constitutional Court judges will
Join our exclusive KI Insights Monthly Briefing to gain critical perspectives on the highly anticipated Ukrainian elections (whenever they occur). We will analyze key potential players, what to expect from their platforms, and reflect on broader implications for the country's future. Whether you are following Ukrainian politics closely or seeking
Alexander Lukashenko announced last year that he intended to run again in the presidential election.
Nearly 1,300 prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
Milanovic's re-election to the largely symbolic position serves as a setback for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s government, whose government was recently embroiled in a corruption scandal implicating a former health minister.
"This decision underscores the continued lack of commitment by the Belarusian authorities to invite other OSCE states to observe and provide an independent view on whether the elections are held in line with OSCE commitments and international democratic standards."
Trudeau has faced mounting pressure from his party, particularly after the abrupt resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Dec. 16.
The reported visit will be Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's third trip to China in three years. Lukashenko is likely looking to reduce Belarusian dependence on Russia, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said.
Key developments on Jan. 3: * Over 50,000 Russians seek MIA through Ukraine’s project, representative says * 'Nothing interesting' — Russian envoy dismisses Trump’s reported peace deal proposals on Ukraine * Germany should not rule out peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, CDU lawmaker says * 'We would violate Ukrainian legislation on behalf of
Ukraine will not hold elections under martial law even if Russia puts it forward as one of the pre-conditions for negotiations, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Ukrainian television released on Jan. 2.
Georgian anti-Western politician Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was inaugurated as the country's sixth president on Dec. 29 in a move seen as illegitimate by the opposition.
A video published on TikTok by Yuriy Boyko, a pro-Russian lawmaker and former head of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life, was met with public outrage in Ukraine. In his Dec. 14 video, Boyko repeated long-standing Russian propaganda points of radicals controlling Ukrainian streets. Sitting in his office and looking
"To safeguard the democratic principles currently at stake in Georgia, it is imperative that the authorities urgently address all concerns," OSCE representative Eoghan Murphy said.
"We stand by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision not to deliver the Taurus cruise missile from the Bundeswehr's stocks," the SPD program reportedly reads, adding that weapons deliveries should come with "prudence and a sense of proportion."
The Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, which had been led by anti-NATO, pro-Russian independent candidate Calin Georgescu, Digi24 reported on Dec. 6.
Romanian authorities on Dec. 4 declassified evidence of what they described as a "highly organized" social media campaign backed by a "state actor" to boost pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu in a recent vote.
On Oct. 26, Georgia held parliamentary elections under a proportional system with a 5% threshold. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party secured 53.93% of the vote, earning 89 parliamentary mandates but falling short of a constitutional majority. Opposition parties received 37.79% of the
