Ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister: Zelensky is Nothing But Impostor Since May 21
Ekaterina Blinova
Azarov went on to trash Zelensky's martial law pretext to justify canceling elections: "Zelensky did not declare war [against Russia]. He also did not announce any military operation. He simply introduced martial law. Why did you introduce martial law if you are not declaring war?"
Volodymyr Zelensky has lost his legitimacy and the West cannot rewrite the Ukrainian Constitution by holding summits and creating excuses for his brazen power grab, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told Sputnik.
Zelensky's presidential powers expired on the night of May 20-21 and cannot be extended per the Ukrainian Constitution which limits the presidential tenure to five years. Despite calls from the West to secure a second term via a general election in Ukraine, he refused to do so - using the pretext of martial law to continue. Azarov went on to trash Zelensky's martial law pretext to justify canceling elections: "Zelensky did not declare war [against Russia]. He also did not announce any military operation. He simply introduced martial law. Why did you introduce martial law if you are not declaring war?"
Zero Chance of Winning Election
The former Ukrainian president's unwillingness to hold elections stems from his legitimate fear that he would have lost miserably, according to the former prime minister."If there were a chance [of winning], he would have held elections," he said. "Nothing prevented him from holding elections, because the entire administration, all the security forces, all the penal structures, everything is in the hands of his administration." Azarov suggested that Zelensky could have held elections in the territories controlled by Kiev – akin to what his predecessor Petro Poroshenko did during his presidential tenure. But even under these conditions, Zelensky understood that he could not win and could be easily beaten by any other contender, like General Valery Zaluzhny, the ex-prime minister presumed. As Zelensky's tenure expired on May 20, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and its speaker are now the only legitimate powers in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on May 28, adding that the Ukrainian Constitution provides for the extension of the powers of the parliament, but not the president, under martial law. Responding to Putin's remark, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk argued that the president of Ukraine exercises his powers until his successor assumes the post. However, the debate over Zelensky's legitimacy is gaining pace regardless of Stefanchuk's assertions.
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/ex-ukrainian-prime-minister-zelensky-is-nothing-but-impostor-since-may-21-1118686532.html