Parliament approves rules for uninterrupted operation of local authorities in times of war
8 October 14:01
On Wednesday, October 8, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of Resolution No. 14301, which provides for the continuity of local councils and mayors in times of war, as well as the postponement of local elections until the end of martial law.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
The document was supported by 308 deputies.
The explanatory note states that the purpose of the draft resolution is to ensure the continuous operation of local governments (village, town, city, district, and regional councils, as well as their heads) in Ukraine during the war.
The key provisions of the document include
- recognizing the impossibility of preparing and holding local elections during martial law due to the impossibility of complying with democratic standards and the threat to the security of participants in the process;
- the responsibility for the impossibility of timely preparation and holding of elections is placed on the Russian Federation;
- the powers of the current local councils and heads elected in legitimate elections are confirmed to remain in office until a new composition of councils or new heads are elected in the next local elections and they take office. Exceptions are those whose powers are terminated early in accordance with the law.
The resolution also emphasizes the principle of continuity of power.
“Sustainable functioning of local self-government bodies and their exercise of powers provided for by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine are prerequisites for observing the principle of continuity of power, ensuring law and order, national security, defense of the state and the life of territorial communities,” the explanatory note says.
In addition, the document emphasizes that after the war is over, the decision on new local elections will be made in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Code and the laws of Ukraine. It also calls on the international community to support the continuous operation of local governments during a full-scale invasion.
Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s Tax Committee, explained that the resolution was adopted so that “we do not play politics, but rather focus on winning and, in fact, on how to end this war and move to peace.”
“Politics was obviously interfering with this (the work of local councils and mayors during the war – ed.). Therefore, with this in mind, we adopted this resolution, although I personally wanted the elections to take place as soon as possible,” Hetmantsev added.
