No elections during the war: all political forces of Ukraine's parliament agree
Photo: Reuters
In mid-November, all political forces in the Ukrainian parliament signed a memorandum on holding the next elections only after the end of martial law.
Rubryka writes about this, referring to the website of the Ukrainian parliament, and first vice-speaker Oleksandr Kornienko in the comments for UP.
As noted, the postponement of the elections until the war's end was agreed upon at a meeting in the format of the Jean Monet Dialogues for peace and democracy, which took place on November 10-12 in the Zakarpattia region.
In the conclusions made public as a result of this event, it is said, in particular, that the leadership of the parliament, the chairmen, and delegated representatives of the parliamentary factions and groups of Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation "reached an agreement that the future free and fair national elections (parliamentary, presidential) are held after the end of the war and the end of martial law, with enough time to prepare for elections (at least six months after the end of martial law)."
The document was signed by, in particular:
- Davyd Arahamia from the Servant of the People faction,
- Yuliia Tymoshenko from Batkivshchyna,
- Iryna Gerashchenko, as co-chair of the Eurosolidarity faction,
- Oleksandra Ustinova from Holos,
- representatives of other parliamentary groups.
"We are convinced that the upcoming national elections will be of great importance for the democratic prospects of Ukraine and that they must be held in compliance with international standards.
However, we are also aware that, as a result of the war and its consequences, the conduct of the elections will be associated with unique challenges that will require a broad political consensus to successfully resolve them.
Therefore, as part of the next Jean Monnet Dialogue, we will continue our exchange of views on the principles that can become the cornerstones of future elections in Ukraine," the document noted.
It was also indicated that the dialogue participants agreed to work on the development of a special law that would regulate the specifics of holding the first post-war elections.
In a comment to the UP, the first vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Kornienko, confirmed that all the commitments made by the political forces are in the memorandum.
"The Dialogues of Jean Monet on November 10-12 were devoted to a wide range of issues, including the issue of elections," he said.
"I am currently not aware of other similar meetings regarding the elections," Kornienko answered when asked whether the parliamentarians returned to the topic of the elections after that meeting.
The November 10-12 meeting in the format of Dialogues of Jean Monet was held for the ninth time since October 2016 and for the third time during the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the ninth convocation. This was the second personal meeting after the beginning of the unprovoked full-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation.
Elections during the war
We will remind you that the presidential elections in Ukraine are scheduled for 2024. They should pass at the end of March.
But now, Ukraine is under martial law, which was introduced at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. According to the law, elections are prohibited during martial law.
It should be noted that in the summer, US Senator Lindsey Graham expressed the opinion that elections in Ukraine should be held next year, regardless of whether the war ends. He believes this will be the best proof of changes in the country.
The Ukrainian authorities explained that elections are possible only after the end of hostilities.
However, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that holding elections in the near future will take the attention of Ukrainians and the world away from the main thing — the process of restoring peace. In addition, it is difficult to organize elections in the conditions of hostilities, and it is also against the law.
