How common is it for democracies to postpone elections during wartime?

US president Donald Trump’s claim yesterday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a “dictator without elections” has been widely rejected by European leaders.

Mr Trump’s comments are based on the fact that Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for last year were postponed due to the ongoing war in the country, and no new dates for these have yet been set. 

Under the terms of Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held while the country is under martial law (which was declared by Mr Zelenskyy on 24 February 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and has been extended multiple times by Ukraine’s parliament since).

Experts have also noted a number of practical obstacles to holding elections—around one-fifth of the country is currently occupied by Russia, millions of Ukrainians are displaced or serving on front lines, and there are various security concerns.

Sam Van der Staak, Director for the Regional Europe Programme of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, told Full Fact: “The postponement of Ukraine's elections is legitimate because Ukraine's own constitution dictates that while there is martial law there won't be elections. 

“There is also broad public and political consensus within Ukraine that there should not be elections during wartime.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin has previously claimed that Mr Zelenskyy could not sign a peace deal “because of his illegitimacy”.

In a phone-call with Mr Zelenskyy yesterday, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reportedly noted that the UK had itself postponed elections during World War Two. A general election was due to be held in 1940, but was delayed year after year until the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

Elections, and the laws guiding when and how they must take place, vary by country. Historically, different countries have taken different approaches when faced with the prospect of holding national elections during times of war. 

During World War One both the UK and Canada extended their parliamentary terms (effectively delaying elections), while New Zealand postponed elections during World War Two.

Parliamentary elections have also been postponed in Israel due to conflict, for example during the Yom Kippur war in 1973. More recently, in 2023 local elections were pushed back following the 7 October attacks, though these were ultimately held a few months later, while the war in Gaza was still ongoing.

In other cases, though, elections have gone ahead during wartime—for example, Australians went to the polls during both World Wars.

Perhaps most notably, the 1944 presidential election was held in the United States (though it’s been explained elsewhere that postponing a US presidential election for a substantial period of time would not be allowed under the country’s constitution). 

US presidential elections during World War Two were not without controversy, however, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with precedent to become the first US president to serve more than two terms in office, ultimately leading to the establishment of constitutional term limits.