Ukraine prepares for post-war elections: what the Central Election Commission is proposing
8 January 02:12
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine has approved a package of proposals on legislative regulation of the organization and conduct of nationwide elections after the termination or cancellation of martial law. The Commission adopted the relevant decision during its meeting, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The proposals will be sent to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in particular to the relevant parliamentary committee on the organization of state power and local self-government, as well as to a special working group on the preparation of comprehensive changes to the electoral legislation for the post-war and special period.
Preparations have been ongoing since 2022
The CEC emphasizes that work on the issue of post-war elections has been ongoing since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression. Back in September 2022, the Commission prepared the first package of legislative proposals, which became the basic framework for further improvement of electoral legislation in the context of the war and post-war periods.
Subsequently, the work was continued with the involvement of central executive bodies, members of parliament, representatives of civil society, and international institutions.
Three key areas of work
Within the framework of three working groups, the CEC focused on the following areas:
- updating voter data, which is critically important after large-scale population movements;
- organizing voting for Ukrainian citizens abroad who live or are temporarily staying in foreign countries;
- a plan of measures for preparing and conducting post-war elections at the national level.
Based on the results of this inclusive work, the Commission has formulated proposals that take into account security risks, organizational challenges, and the need to protect the electoral process from interference by the aggressor state.
What elections are we talking about?
The proposals developed can be used in the preparation of draft laws on the conduct of:
- elections of the President of Ukraine;
- elections of People’s Deputies of Ukraine, which did not take place due to the introduction of martial law.
Elections and European integration
The CEC emphasizes that these developments are also Ukraine’s contribution to the fulfillment of its European integration commitments.
The need to establish a legislative framework for post-war elections is provided for in the Roadmap for the Functioning of Democratic Institutions and the European Commission’s Report on EU Enlargement.
Position of the CEC
Commission Chairman Oleg Didenko stressed that the proposed approaches are not final.
“We consider today’s decision of the Commission as a contribution to building a meaningful parliamentary dialogue with the participation of civil society and all relevant state institutions. We do not insist that our proposals are the only option — on the contrary, we want to stimulate a broad discussion on how to ensure the electoral rights of citizens and protect Ukrainian democratic elections in the post-war conditions,” Didenko said.
The CEC has stated its readiness to continue working on improving legislative initiatives and to facilitate professional discussion at the level of parliament and the Working Group.
