Kornienko: The Council currently does not have any “drafts” regarding elections during martial law

The Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Kornienko, stated that currently, the Rada does not have any “drafts” or legislative initiatives regarding holding elections during martial law.

Source: Kornienko on the air of the telethon

Direct speech: “In order to start such a process, we all need to sit down together, talk and understand where we can move forward in the parliament, developing this legislation…

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We don’t hold elections here because of a good life. This must be explained to everyone once again… This is because of the war, because of Russian missiles, daily drones, because of what the Russians are pushing in the east, in the south. And it’s not because we don’t want democracy.

We are a candidate for EU membership, we must fulfill all Copenhagen criteria for democracy, and we will work on this, but if there is a need for us to provide a legislative framework – we will give it.

But it is clear that without the security framework that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out, it should be provided by the partners – USA and European colleagues.

Security framework plus organizational legal framework – it’s already something to talk about.”

Details: According to him, currently the Council does not have any “drafts” or legislative initiatives of such legislation.

In his opinion, the Cabinet of Ministers should also participate in this process. Legislation on elections during martial law should also be discussed with civil society organizations.

Kornienko named a number of challenges and tasks that need to be solved while preparing for such elections.

In particular, key issues include:

• voters abroadwho will not want to return to the country under fire;
• conditions for participation in military elections at the frontof which there are hundreds of thousands;
• also possibility of participation of the military as candidates (now a vacation is provided, but it is necessary to understand how it will happen in practice);
• the issue of IDPs and the voter register (it is necessary to give appropriate powers and resources to the CEC);
• safety criterion issue conducting or not conducting elections and opening of polling stations. Defense against drones and criteria for determining where to open precincts and where not, especially in frontline areas.

Direct speech: “Now we cannot guarantee security on election day and campaigning in a very significant part of the territory. These are our front-line towns and villages near the front line.

I don’t know the depth. It is necessary to evaluate. This has to be evaluated by the security authorities, but it is obvious that now with these latest FPV capabilities, which can hit tens of kilometers, it is already a question of where to open and where not to open precincts.

Our legislation does not even specify who should determine it. There are many issues to be resolved and worked on. If there is a task to prepare a certain legislative framework, I think that we have been moving in this direction for a long time.”

Details: In particular, according to him, the CEC has seven working groups and there are many drafts.

There are also drafts in the parliament, but the Rada did not consider any of these documents in the session hall: “Unfortunately, we repeatedly encountered a situation when any attempt to talk about the post-war elections turned into a political discussion.”

Kornienko believes that if we are currently talking about immediate requirements from partners, then they should provide them, first of all, with a security component.

Regarding the probability of parliamentary elections, the vice-speaker reminded that in Ukraine, the Constitution cannot be changed while martial law is in force, and the Constitution mentions the impossibility of elections to the Council while it continues.

Kornienko added that the question here is whether this is a diplomatic negotiation technique on the part of the partners or an attempt at pressure.