Ukraine a 'genuine', 'fragile' democracy: 'Internal political turmoil will weaken political system'

What changed?

Ukraine a 'genuine', 'fragile' democracy: 'Internal political turmoil will weaken political system'. Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Dr. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, journalist, author and President of PEN Ukraine. According to Dr Yermolenko, Ukraine might be confronting an existential threat to its democracy. Suspending elections during wartime carries real dangers, particularly as political power is now increasingly centralized around President Zelensky. Yet holding elections while cities remain under attack, more than a million people serve in the military, and the country remains acutely vulnerable could unleash precisely the political turmoil Ukraine can least afford. Ukraine’s democratic vitality remains visible in its protests, free media, public criticism and powerful anti-corruption institutions. The challenge is therefore not simply whether Ukraine should choose democracy or wartime unity, but how it can preserve democratic accountability without allowing internal political conflict to weaken its resistance to Russia.