Draft law on elections and referendum may be submitted to parliament by the end of February: Arakhamia
A meeting of national security advisers from fifteen countries and representatives of European institutions was held in Kyiv, during which the upcoming elections in Ukraine and a possible referendum on the peace agreement were discussed. The head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arahamia, reported that the draft law on elections is planned to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada by the end of February.
According to Arahamia, a working group has been created to prepare a document on holding elections and a referendum. Among the scenarios considered is holding presidential elections simultaneously with a referendum on the peace agreement. He noted that there are certain difficulties for the Ukrainian electoral system, and a turnout of at least 50 percent of voters is required for a referendum.
Arakhamia also emphasized the problems associated with the lost territories and seven million citizens abroad, as well as the need to determine how internally displaced persons whose polling stations were destroyed or lost would vote.
The faction leader noted that a referendum on the peace agreement was needed to determine the level of support for the proposed document by Ukrainians. He emphasized that the elections and referendum would be held only if democratic and security standards were observed, which would guarantee their international recognition.
The security issues of the voting remain a priority, and international partners understand this. Representatives of fifteen European states, as well as officials from NATO, the European Council and the European Commission, arrived in Kyiv to discuss a range of security and economic issues.
The first session of discussions was devoted to the analysis of the documents provided, after which the advisors and their countries will need time to process the information before the meeting of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on January 6.
