The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has begun preparing a draft law that will regulate the holding of elections during martial law. This was announced during an online meeting of the working group, the press service of the parliament reports.
The first meeting of the group was chaired by First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Kornienko. The working group includes 62 participants: people’s deputies, representatives of the Central Election Commission, military personnel, and judges. It is planned to hold meetings once every two weeks, with the next one scheduled for January 6–8.
On December 18, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he was ready to hold presidential elections in response to a request from the United States. At the same time, discussions on elections to the Verkhovna Rada and local councils have not yet taken place.
On December 22, the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, announced the formation of a working group in parliament to “quickly work out the issue” of possible presidential elections under martial law. On December 23, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, supported the creation of the group under the leadership of Oleksandr Kornienko. According to Arakhamia, the Central Election Commission has already resumed the work of the State Voter Register, which may indicate gradual preparations for the upcoming elections.
On the same day, President Zelensky announced that a referendum on the 20-point peace agreement could be held in Ukraine simultaneously with the elections.
“The agreement may also be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration, and security guarantees will only come after its ratification or approval by the people”, – the head of state noted.
