The Parliament has created a working group for presidential elections during the war: what experts say.

According to ТСН: Anticipating possible difficulties, the Verkhovna Rada announced the creation of a working group that will address the issues of conducting presidential elections during martial law. This decision was made despite debates regarding legislation that prohibits elections in Ukraine during wartime.

Recently, former Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine Andriy Mahera expressed his view on the possibility of holding elections.

“Organizing elections during martial law is like opening a brothel in a monastery,”

he noted on his social media. Some users suggested that the initiative to hold presidential elections during the war could come from American leader Donald Trump.

The parliament also discussed the details of potentially holding elections at this challenging time.

“One draft law will definitely be insufficient, but changes to the Constitution are definitely not needed. The Constitution does not prohibit holding presidential elections during the regime of martial law,”

noted a representative of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Fedir Venislavsky.

He explained that a separate law is needed to regulate the procedures for holding elections. According to him, it may be necessary to amend the law on the legal regime of martial law, as current norms prohibit presidential elections during war.

He also expressed the opinion that it is not worth making changes to the electoral code if a separate law is adopted, as this could complicate the situation. However, such decisions are only possible if a ceasefire is established.

The Deputy Head of the Committee on Human Rights Protection of the National Association of Lawyers of Ukraine Sergiy Starenkiy also supported the idea of holding elections, noting that the Constitution does not prohibit this at present.

“If the law on martial law is changed, theoretically some mechanism for elections can be prescribed. And these elections could be held,”

he added.

How military personnel will be able to vote

In response to a question about voting by military personnel, Starenkiy replied that there are advance voting models that are popular in many countries. Those who cannot vote on the designated day can do so earlier, but under normal circumstances.

It is recalled that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing the infrastructure abroad for organizing elections.

The issue of the possibility of holding presidential elections during martial law remains contentious. Legislative issues and practical aspects of voting by military personnel also require detailed discussion. While Ukraine faces security-related challenges, the development of mechanisms for holding elections remains an important part of the political process in the country.