“To begin such a process, we need to all sit down together, talk, and understand where we can move further in parliament while developing this legislation… We are not avoiding elections because life is good here. This needs to be explained to everyone once again, probably… It’s because of the war, because of russian missiles, daily drones, because the russians are advancing in the east and south. And it’s not because we don’t want democracy. We are a candidate for EU membership, we must fulfill absolutely all Copenhagen criteria of democracy, and we will work on this, but if we are required to provide a legislative framework — we will provide it. But it’s clear that without a security framework, which president Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out, and which must be provided by our partners — the U.S. and European colleagues — there is nothing to talk about. A security framework plus an organizational-legal one — only then can anything be discussed”, - said the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko on December 11 during a telethon broadcast, reports Ukrainska Pravda.
According to him, there are currently no “drafts” or legislative initiatives of such legislation in the Rada. In this process, in his opinion, the Cabinet of Ministers should also be involved. It is also necessary to discuss election legislation during martial law with public organizations. Kornienko listed several challenges and tasks that need to be solved while preparing for such elections.
Among the key issues:
- voters abroad who will not want to return to the country under shelling;
- conditions for participation in elections for soldiers at the front, of whom there are hundreds of thousands;
- the possibility of soldiers participating as candidates (currently a leave of absence is provided, but it is necessary to understand how this will work in practice);
- the issue of IDPs and the voter register (it is necessary to give the CEC the appropriate powers and resources);
- criteria for the safety of holding or not holding elections and opening polling stations — protection from drones and criteria for determining where to open stations and where not to, especially in frontline areas.
“Right now we cannot guarantee safety on election day or campaigning in a very significant part of the territory. These are our frontline towns and settlements near the front line. I don’t know the depth. It needs to be assessed. Security agencies must assess it, but obviously, with these new FPV capabilities that can strike tens of kilometers away, the question becomes where to open polling stations and where not to. Our legislation does not even define who should decide that. There are many issues that need to be solved and worked on. If the task is to prepare a certain legislative framework, I think we have already been moving in that direction for quite a long time”, - Kornienko said.
According to him, seven working groups are operating in the CEC, and many drafts exist.
Drafts also exist in parliament, but the Rada has not considered any of these documents in the session hall: “We have repeatedly, unfortunately, faced situations where any attempt to talk about post-war elections turned into a political discussion”.
Kornienko believes that if the current conversation is about immediate demands from partners, then they must provide the security component first and foremost.
As for the likelihood of parliamentary elections, the Deputy Speaker reminded that in Ukraine the Constitution cannot be amended while martial law is in effect, and the Constitution directly prohibits elections to the Rada while it continues.
Kornienko added that the question remains whether this is a diplomatic negotiation tactic of the partners or an attempt at pressure.