CEC head: Electoral data update does not mean elections will be held soon
19 February 21:27
The Central Election Commission has explained that the update of electoral data is not related to the upcoming elections.
The head of the Central Election Commission, Oleh Didenko, said this in an interview with Radio Liberty, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to Didenko, elections require the end of the war and the lifting of martial law. Instead, discussions about the elections in Ukraine can destabilize the situation and undermine the legitimacy of the government, the CEC chairman believes.
“As of now, we have neither factual nor legal grounds to talk about elections. We are still under martial law. Elections are not organized or held during martial law,” Didenko emphasized.
At the same time, he explained that the CEC is working to keep the voter register up to date even during the inter-election period, and this does not mean preparations for the elections.
This is how the CEC chairman commented on the reopening of the State Voter Register, which was closed for security reasons after the start of the full-scale invasion.
“After that, it was decided to update the address information. Addresses, street names, houses have changed. Some houses disappeared, some were added,” Didenko added.
In addition, Didenko reacted to the statement of the fifth President Petro Poroshenko, which he made in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, that the printing plant “Ukraine” was tasked with calculating the cost of printing ballots.
According to Didenko, this also does not indicate preparations for the elections, as the CEC regularly makes relevant requests.
“For example, in 2022, we were preparing a budget request for 2023, and in order to calculate at least an approximate estimated cost of the elections, we need to understand the cost of ballots,” the CEC chairman emphasized.
The CEC also noted that working groups are working to simplify voting in the post-war elections. In particular, they are considering changing the form of the ballot.
