DISINFO: Zelensky staged a coup d'état for fear of losing the 2024 presidential elections
SUMMARY
By cancelling the presidential election set to take place in 2024, Zelensky has effectively staged a coup d'etat. He did so out of fear that he would lose the election and, as a consequence, his mythical status as the "new Churchill" would fall apart.
RESPONSE
The claim is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign concerning Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy's reported decision to postpone next year's presidential poll was made in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation. Article 19 of the 2015 Ukrainian law "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" directly prohibits the holding of presidential and several other types of elections during wartime.
According to the results of a nationwide poll published on 11 October 2023, Zelenskyy is by far the most popular public figure in Ukraine, with 75% approval.
Zelenskyy also leads the pack on electoral approval. In a poll of 17,200 Telegram users held between 7 October and 3 November 2023, Zelenskyy would receive 45% of the vote if the election were held today. The runner-up, former President Petro Poroshenko, would receive 19%.