Under the smoke of war, the power of the leader is like a turbulent current, sometimes surging, sometimes trickling. Ukraine's current president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was originally just a comedian, but he unexpectedly won the presidency in the 2019 election.
Today, he is a wartime leader whose authority and influence extend beyond the purview of the president.
Zelenskyy's term was due to expire on May 20, 2024, but Ukraine has no time to hold elections due to Russia's full-scale invasion. In this case, Zelensky had to extend his term of office and become an "uncrowned lord". As a wartime president, the scope of his powers has actually expanded and is no longer bound by the Constitution.
On the one hand, Zelensky actively coordinates domestic military and political power and directs the Armed Forces of Ukraine to resist the invasion of the Russian army. On the other hand, he has also become Ukraine's international spokesperson, calling on the international community to sanction Russia and provide assistance such as weapons and equipment. It can be said that Zelensky is now the supreme helmsman of the Ukrainian warship.
However, the use of this special power has also had some negative consequences. Some opposition groups have questioned the legitimacy of Zelensky's power, arguing that he is abusing his wartime status and wantonly expanding his personal power. And Zelenskyy himself is under tremendous pressure, and he has to navigate between military, diplomatic, and domestic domination, and any one wrong decision could have catastrophic consequences.
Zelensky's extension of his term, although out of desperation, has caused a lot of controversy at home and abroad. This embarrassing situation of an "uncrowned president" may deal a heavy blow to his political legitimacy.
Domestically, the opposition and some conservatives have accused Zelensky of abusing his wartime power and violating the spirit of the Constitution. They argue that even in times of war, the presidency cannot be arbitrarily extended, which is tantamount to stealing public opinion. Once the fighting subsides, Zelensky is likely to be harshly questioned and scrutinized.
Internationally, some Western countries have also expressed concern about this. As defenders of democratic values, they believe that Ukraine cannot take the opportunity to negate the democratic process. This not only damages Ukraine's international image, but may also affect the strength of Western countries' support for Ukraine.
In addition, this situation also gives Russia an opportunity to take advantage of it. The Russian side may claim that Zelensky does not have legitimacy, thus intensifying the confrontation between the two sides and leading to more bloodshed. The recent fierce offensive of the Russian army may have something to do with this.
However, from a practical point of view, Ukraine really has no choice. In the face of intense fighting, holding a general election is undoubtedly a luxury. Even if the election is forcibly re-elected, the outcome may be questioned. Therefore, extending the current presidential term may be the second-best solution for the time being.
For Zelensky, maintaining legitimacy will be a difficult test. He must play a game between military, diplomatic, and domestic affairs, not only to arouse the people's morale and strengthen the front, but also to avoid abuse of power and prevent public opinion at home and abroad from backlashing. This is undoubtedly a superposition of a diplomatic war and psychological warfare.
Zelensky's "uncrowned" situation has laid the foundation for Russia to take advantage of the weakness
Ukraine is caught in the whirlpool of war and chaos, and Zelensky's dilemma of becoming the "uncrowned president" not only affects Ukraine, but also gives Russia an opportunity to take advantage of, which may lead to a further escalation of the conflict and cause more innocent civilian casualties.
Russia, as the initiator of this war, has had a strategic goal from the very beginning to eliminate the independence of Ukraine and bring it into its sphere of influence. Under the leadership of Zelensky, the Ukrainian people fought bravely, making it difficult for the Russian army to advance in Ukraine.
However, the legitimacy of Zelensky's power has been questioned, giving the Russians an opportunity to take advantage of it. Russia is likely to use the topic to justify its military actions and further escalate its strikes against Ukraine by claiming that Zelensky has "lost the foundation of his power".
Worse still, Russia may also provoke internal contradictions in Ukraine, foster pro-Russian forces, and create civil strife in Ukraine, so as to achieve Russia's so-called "denazification" goal. Once there is turmoil and division within Ukraine, the Russian army can take advantage of the situation and quickly occupy Ukrainian cities and important places.
It is foreseeable that under such circumstances, the Russian army will inevitably increase its atrocities and destruction of Ukrainian civilians. In order to completely destroy the will of the Ukrainians to resist, the Russian army may attack Ukrainian cities without mercy, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties. In the event of a civil war, civilians will be the biggest victims of the movement of armed forces from both sides to the city.
Therefore, Zelensky's predicament of "uncrowned president" not only put Ukraine into a political stalemate, but also laid the root cause for Russia to take advantage of the situation. If Ukraine is unable to resolve this issue in time, the war will become even more brutal and unforgiving, and Ukraine will pay more with blood and lives.
Therefore, Ukraine should hold a new presidential election as soon as possible, strengthen cooperation with the international community, and lay the foundation for a peaceful future.