Former Austrian Foreign Minister turned director of the G.O.R.K.I. Center at St. Petersburg State University, Karin Kneissl, has sat down with TASS to discuss a wide array of themes, such as when a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine might be ready, what challenges Kiev will face during elections, and whether Europe will once again become an important partner for Russia.
– Recently, US President Donald Trump openly declared for the first time the need for holding elections in Ukraine. What do you think: is it possible to hold them within 100 days - the timeframe reportedly discussed during the Berlin talks?
– Zelensky’s initial argument was that holding elections was impossible because the country was at war. In response, some American politicians pointed out that elections in the US were also held during wartime. Think what you want about the elections in Syria or Iraq, but in those countries, too, elections were held under very, very difficult conditions. What is necessary for elections? First and foremost, voter registration - that is, understanding who is on the lists and who is eligible to vote. Many people have fled Ukraine. I suspect that the main problem in holding elections will be voter registration - who is where and who can vote. On the one hand, there has been large-scale emigration, on the other, many voters have already died. Therefore, voter registration, in my opinion, is the biggest challenge in moving this process forward. I don't know how many days it will take, but that seems to me to be the key issue. Organizing ballot boxes, printing the actual ballots, and opening polling stations - I would say that's a lesser issue. Correct registration is far more important. Furthermore, for a legitimate election, all participating parties and candidates must be given equal opportunity to campaign. This means they need campaign posters and access to televised debates, although, of course, these days, election campaigns are largely conducted through social media. Nevertheless, posters are still necessary. Printing them and making related technical arrangements will undoubtedly be difficult, and this shouldn't be underestimated. Another serious problem for parties and candidates in Ukraine, in my opinion, will be access to funding, for example, to have equal airtime.
