A Ukrainian MP explained when Ukraine will be able to hold elections

Ukraine will not hold parliamentary or presidential elections this year. The priority is to focus on ending the war.

This was stated by Serhii Nahorniak, an MP from the Servant of the People party.

According to Nahorniak, any attempts to pause the war for a few months in order to open polling stations are a dangerous path.

“Right now, any talk about elections is meaningless. And I believe that absolutely all politicians must clearly make it understood to both our American and European partners that we should not be distracted by elections or anything else,” he said.

The MP said Ukraine’s focus now must be on how to withstand this war and how to pressure Russia into backing down.

“So that we get peace on Ukrainian terms, not on the terms that are being imposed on us today by the United States, and that Russia is imposing through the United States,” the lawmaker added.

A real launch of the electoral process, he said, is possible only after a complete end to the full-scale war.

“We need to speak frankly with them (the partners) that elections will happen, but after the war ends—and we need at least six months after the war ends to have time to prepare them… I frankly do not believe there will be elections this year,” Nahorniak said.

A working group on elections has already been created in Ukraine, but almost all participants note that voting should take place only after the war ends. One draft provision has already been developed that would require candidates to disclose whether they have had any ties to Russia.

The electoral threshold for political parties may also be changed from 5% to 3%.

For military personnel at elections, a military registration document could be allowed instead of a passport.

However, these points have not been finally approved. After the draft law is fully finalized, the Verkhovna Rada must pass it in two readings.