Presidential elections during wartime are impossible: statement from the MP on key obstacles.

According to ТСН: Member of Parliament Fedir Venislavskyi expressed the opinion that organizing presidential elections during wartime is impossible due to numerous security and organizational issues.

He noted that if such a need arises, particularly after the signing of a peace agreement, the Verkhovna Rada can find a compromise solution for holding the elections.

Venislavskyi also emphasized that there are significant difficulties in ensuring the electoral rights of military personnel and millions of Ukrainians who are currently abroad.

“This is a very serious challenge, as there are currently two aspects – internal and external. From an internal point of view, the Electoral Code and the Law on Referendums provide for voting at our country’s diplomatic missions abroad,” explained the MP.

He noted that even the current norms of legislation do not allow for the participation in voting of all citizens who have been forced to leave Ukraine.

“Considering such a large number of Ukrainian citizens – according to various estimates from five to possibly ten million – ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to go to embassies or consulates and vote 100% is unrealistic. No embassy or consulate can provide the opportunity to exercise their voting rights for such a number,” emphasized Venislavskyi.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the issue of holding presidential elections or a referendum on important aspects of the peace plan depends primarily on security.

Furthermore, head of the civil network “Opora” Olha Aivazovska warned that online voting, proposed by the head of the parliamentary faction “Servant of the People” Davyd Arakhamia, could be beneficial for the Russian side.

Thus, the issue of holding elections in the context of ongoing war remains open. Experience shows that without proper organization and security, the realization of Ukrainians' electoral rights is an extremely complex task. The situation also underscores the importance of finding solutions that can ensure the participation of all Ukrainians, regardless of their location, in future voting.