The Committee of the Council discussed the prospects of post-war elections in Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, as a beneficiary of the project “Supporting Democratic Post-War Elections in Ukraine”, heard information about the results of the current monitoring of the project for the first half of 2024.

During the reporting period, with the participation of Committee representatives, the following was carried out:

• A meeting of the Supervisory Board of the project was held, where the results of the project’s implementation for 2023 were summed up and discussed, as well as plans and priorities for 2024 were outlined.
• A number of studies on the prerequisites and challenges for the organization and conduct of elections in Ukraine in the post-war period are presented. In particular, the research covered the issue of strengthening the legislative regulation of gender quotas in electoral lists and improving the regulatory regulation of online campaigning to protect female candidates from sexism.
• Expert support was provided in the organization and holding of round tables, which discussed strategic issues related to supporting the active participation of women in the political process and guaranteeing the exercise of their electoral rights in the context of challenges caused by military aggression.
• A draft list of criteria for evaluating democratic prerequisites for holding post-war elections in Ukraine was developed and presented to the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, people’s deputies – members of the Committee, and representatives of the Committee’s secretariat. This list includes issues related to the restoration of the electoral infrastructure and ensuring the safe and systematic functioning of the State Register of Voters.

The members of the Committee highly appreciated the quality of the work of the Council of Europe experts in the framework of the implementation of the project and the significant contribution of this organization to the development of democratic processes in Ukraine.

This international technical assistance project is implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” from January 1, 2023.