When will elections be held in Ukraine: The Central Election Commission has made its proposals
21 January 23:12
The Central Election Commission is initiating a six-month preparatory period before the start of any elections in the post-war period. This was announced by the head of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, Oleg Didenko, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Ukraine is continuing to prepare for the legislative regulation of elections after the termination or cancellation of martial law. The Central Election Commission presented its proposals to the relevant subgroup of the Working Group, which is developing comprehensive solutions for the organization of the electoral process during the special period and after the war.
CEC proposals: what exactly is being proposed
The head of the CEC presented the Commission’s position during the inaugural organizational meeting of the subgroup on election administration and electoral infrastructure of the Working Group on the preparation of comprehensive legislative proposals on the specifics of organizing and conducting elections in Ukraine.
The co-chairs of the subgroup are Oleg Didenko and the chair of the relevant parliamentary committee, Olena Shulyak.
According to the head of the CEC, the Commission approved its findings and submitted them to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for consideration.
“In preparing proposals for legislation, we set ourselves a number of tasks — to summarize the long-term work of the working groups, where a lot of materials and proposals were processed, and thereby contribute to parliamentary and inter-institutional discussion on issues related to the preparation for post-war elections,” said Oleg Didenko.
He stressed that the document is not comprehensive, but should serve as a basis for further dialogue.
What issues are covered by the proposals
The CEC’s comprehensive proposals are aimed at legislative regulation of:
- the timing of elections;
- the transition period for preparing for the electoral process, taking into account the consequences of the war and mass displacement of the population;
- the exercise of electoral rights by internally displaced persons, military personnel, and voters abroad;
- information provision and pre-election campaigning outside Ukraine;
- countering foreign interference and implementing security protocols.
Six months of preparation before the start of the elections
Separately, the CEC chairman announced that the Commission proposes to establish a six-month preparatory (transitional) period after the end of martial law and before the start of the electoral process.
At the same time, it is proposed that the terms of the election process itself remain unchanged:
- 90 days for the election of the President of Ukraine;
- 60 days — for the election of People’s Deputies of Ukraine.
“The preparatory period is necessary, in particular, to assess the possibility of holding elections in certain territories, analyze the readiness of the electoral infrastructure, taking into account the consequences of the war, conduct an analysis and calculate the costs of establishing additional foreign polling stations, ensure the interaction of registries in order to clarify information about voters, and implement other measures of the CEC,” explained Oleg Didenko.
Voting rights of IDPs, military personnel, and Ukrainians abroad
The CEC chairman stressed the importance of ensuring the electoral rights of internally displaced persons, military personnel, and Ukrainian citizens abroad.
Among the proposed solutions is further liberalization of procedures for changing one’s electoral address and polling place.
Separately, the Commission proposes to legislate a provision whereby elections are not organized or held on the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, while Ukrainian voters from these countries will be able to vote in neighboring safe countries.
Security and countering interference
The CEC’s proposals also mention the need to create effective tools to counter foreign interference and develop security protocols at all stages of the electoral process.
During the discussion, the meeting participants focused on updating the State Register of Voters, organizing voting abroad, and security aspects of the elections.
What bills are already in the works
In turn, Olena Shulyak reported that 23 draft laws concerning various aspects of the electoral process are currently under consideration by the parliamentary committee.
She also highlighted eight key legislative initiatives that require priority consideration. These relate, in particular, to:
- the threshold for parties to enter parliament;
- the electoral system for parliamentary and local elections;
- requirements for candidates;
- residence requirements;
- requirements for members of election commissions;
- territorial organization of local elections.
Reference
The working group on the preparation of comprehensive legislative proposals on the organization of elections in special circumstances and/or post-war elections began its work on December 26, 2025.
It is headed by First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko. The work is being carried out in seven subgroups with the participation of representatives of parliament, the government, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations.
