Ukraine; Russia; Europe
Ukraine postponed elections under martial law, but its legal framework provides continuity until a successor can take office.
Ukrainian law prohibits presidential elections during martial law, and Article 108 of the constitution states that the sitting president exercises powers until a newly elected president assumes office.
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Fact check: Ukraine's wartime election postponement does not by itself make Volodymyr Zelenskyy an illegitimate dictator.
Zelensky dictator elections martial law Ukraine legitimacy Canada
Calling Zelenskyy a dictator because Ukraine did not hold a presidential election during martial law is misleading. Wartime law bars national elections during martial law, and the constitution provides continuity until a newly elected successor assumes office.
Ukraine did not hold the presidential election that would normally have occurred in 2024, and Zelenskyy's original term date passed while martial law remained in force.
The claim presents the postponement as a personal abolition of democracy while omitting the wartime legal framework and constitutional continuity provisions.
Canada is a major supporter of Ukraine, and this claim is used in Canadian debate to argue that military and financial support is backing an illegitimate government.