Ukraine Reaches Consensus: Elections Impossible Under Martial Law

Ukraine confirms elections cannot be held during martial law, while exploring voting solutions for soldiers and citizens abroad ahead of postwar elections.

Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated that a consensus has been reached on the impossibility of holding elections during martial law. Authorities are working on mechanisms to enable voting for military personnel and refugees.

The head of the working group on preparing comprehensive legislative proposals regarding the specifics of organizing and conducting elections during a special period and/or postwar elections in Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleksandr Korniienko, said that a consensus has been reached on the impossibility of holding elections during martial law, UNN reports citing the press service of the parliamentary apparatus.

“Our work is completely open. We are discussing these complex issues not fragmentarily and not behind closed doors. We have reached a consensus on the impossibility of holding elections during martial law. At the same time, there is still a lot of work ahead regarding the participation of Ukrainians abroad in elections, as well as finding the best mechanisms to ensure полноценне voting for our defenders,” Korniienko said.

In addition, according to him, “a separate area that requires further development remains the elections to the Verkhovna Rada and the issue of financing postwar elections.”

After the thematic subgroups of the working group complete their work, a meeting of the subgroup on fulfilling obligations in the field of European integration, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, will take place. During this meeting, conducted in an open format, the status of Ukraine’s fulfillment of relevant obligations—particularly in the area of electoral rights and legislation—will be recorded, and stages for their implementation will be defined, the parliament noted.

EMPR