**US President Donald Trump Under Fire for Misunderstanding Democracy**
In a recent move, top diplomats from Moscow and Washington met in Riyadh to discuss “peace” in Ukraine. However, the conversation quickly shifted to elections, with US President Donald Trump taking center stage.
**Trump’s Flawed Understanding of Democracy**
President Trump recently referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator without elections.” This claim reflects a flawed understanding of democracy, known as electoralism. Electoralism is the idea that holding elections is the sole measure of democracy, regardless of whether institutions, public accountability, and the rule of law remain intact.
**Ukraine’s Constitutional Exceptions**
In Ukraine, the constitution explicitly prohibits holding elections under martial law, which has been in place since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. This isn’t a rule invented by Zelensky – it’s a necessity recognized by both domestic and international legal experts.
**Historical Precedents**
History shows that elections have been postponed during wartime. The UK delayed its elections in 1940 to focus on battling Nazi Germany, yet this didn’t make Winston Churchill a dictator.
**Double Standards**
Trump’s logic implies that Zelensky is an authoritarian leader because he hasn’t held elections, despite Ukraine maintaining a free press and independent judiciary. Meanwhile, leaders like Putin and Orbán have held elections while consolidating power and rigging the system in their favor.
**A Question of Integrity**
If democracy is only about voting, why do these strongmen get a pass? Trump’s call for democratic integrity would carry more weight if he weren’t the last person who should be making it. His approach to democracy aligns closely with leaders like Putin and Orbán, who undermine institutions when they don’t serve their interests.
**A Gift to Authoritarian Regimes**
Trump’s comments send a dangerous signal to global democracy. If the US starts judging democracy solely by the presence of elections, it will allow authoritarian regimes to claim legitimacy simply by holding sham votes – while penalizing legitimate democracies that make necessary adjustments during crises.
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