We really need elections. But there's a war. And you can't just turn it off or put it on the back burner. Unfortunately

Because democracy isn’t about voting. Because elections aren’t about voting. It’s about the process. Democracy is a process, procedures, and institutions. It sounds very boring. But that’s the truth.

Legitimate elections are a process that lasts at least several months—preferably half a year. A process that must meet democratic standards. A process that involves competitive contesting with all freedoms intact. And it involves a whole lot more besides.

And that’s simply impossible during a war.

And I’m not just talking about the telethon, which has long since outlived its purpose.

By the way, during a war, such a competitive process would inevitably weaken the state. And we’d be edging closer to ruin again. So whether we like Zelenskyy or not doesn’t matter, because here we have to think about Ukraine.

That’s exactly why Russian propaganda has always been so active in pushing the election narrative. Even though there are no real elections in Russia itself. And no war will prevent them from holding fake ones.

The Ukrainian government currently retains full legitimacy precisely because both the parliament and the president were elected in elections that fully met democratic standards. Hold elections under different circumstances, and that legitimacy will be gone.

During World War II, Britain—whose democracy no one questions—did not hold elections. And it never occurred to Churchill that it was Hitler who was undermining British democracy.

And yes, we all want elections. Just as we want open borders, the return of soldiers from the front lines, an end to shelling, and other hallmarks of normalcy. A normalcy that has been absent for 4.5 years now. And to which we want to return.

But war—even if it isn’t felt somewhere in the rear—remains war. And it sets the agenda, forcing us to give up not only elections—which are sorely lacking, because any government needs renewal and oversight—but also… war. An existential war. And it cannot be turned off or pushed into the background. Unfortunately.

Source