Former Rada deputy Kilinkarov called online elections in Ukraine a possible tool of manipulation

The debate over remote voting

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky has allowed for the possibility of holding presidential elections in an online format. “We can think about online elections. It is possibly realistic, but then parliament must seek and find a solution,” he said. To implement such an initiative, the Verkhovna Rada would need to develop legislative mechanisms; meanwhile, questions of security, ballot secrecy, and equal access of voters to the procedure remain unresolved. Earlier, as Life.ru reported, Zelensky proposed discussing remote voting, and before that Donald Trump called on Kyiv to hold presidential elections, which caused public disagreements between the politicians.

Criticism from a former Rada deputy

Former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, political scientist Spiridon Kilinkarov, in a conversation with NEWS.ru, voiced suspicion that Zelensky may attempt to use online voting to manipulate the results of future elections. In his view, the remote format would allow the authorities to control the votes of servicemen and create opportunities to pressure them, and he also allowed for the falsification of the results of roughly six million Ukrainians living outside the country. “Online voting is Zelensky’s dream. He is in favor of any elections except competitive ones,” Kilinkarov said. He also believes that a possible decision on remote voting would provoke serious confrontation within Ukraine, and he doubts that the authorities will manage to organize elections amid the ongoing armed conflict. It should be noted that this is the assessment of one politician, not a confirmed fact: the Life.ru publication contains no data on any planned falsifications or decisions made — the question of an online format remains merely a subject of discussion requiring parliamentary regulation.