The Ukrainian parliament has approved a draft decision to extend President Volodymyr Zelenski’s powers “until the newly elected president of Ukraine takes office.”

Yaroslav Jelezniyak, a member of the Voice Party in Ukraine, announced on his Telegram account that a decision supporting the extension of President Zelenski’s powers until the elections were held was voted on in parliament. He stated that 268 members voted ‘yes’ to the draft entitled “Supporting Democracy in Ukraine in the Context of Russian Aggression.” The draft resolution presented to the parliament emphasized the importance of adhering to the principle of institutional power continuity as provided for in Ukrainian laws under a state of emergency, and stressed that President Volodymyr Zelenski should exercise his powers until the newly elected president takes office, as stipulated in Article 108, Part 1 of the Ukrainian Constitution.

FAILED AT FIRST VOTE The decision to extend Zelenski’s powers “until the newly elected president of Ukraine takes office” did not pass in the first voting session held yesterday. Zelenski has been serving as the President of Ukraine since 2019. Due to the ongoing conflict in his country, Zelenski argues that holding presidential elections is impossible, leading to the delay of the scheduled elections until 2024.

TRUMP’S “DICTATOR” COMPARISON

US President Donald Trump accused Zelenski of being a “dictator” who did not go to elections and suggested that Zelenski’s goal is to continue the “money train” easily.

APPROVAL RATE DROPPED FROM 80% TO 50% Surveys indicate that Zelenski’s approval rating has declined since he took office in 2019. Zelenski’s popularity in Ukraine was once in the 90s, but has fallen to the 50s since then.