Kornienko on conclusions of working group on elections: We have reached consensus on impossibility of holding elections during martial law

First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, the head of the working group, reported that the parliamentary working group on elections has reached a consensus on the impossibility of holding elections during martial law. Kornienko announced this on Facebook, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"We have reached a consensus on the impossibility of holding elections during martial law. At the same time, there is a lot of work ahead regarding the participation of Ukrainians abroad in the elections, as well as the search for the best mechanisms to ensure full voting for our Defenders," he said.

Kornienko noted that they need to be realistic and start from the security situation, which currently does not allow holding elections during martial law.

According to him, voting abroad is a colossal logistical challenge, all Ukrainians must be able to vote.

"We also have discussions ahead of us on whether to leave the current Electoral Code unchanged or adapt it to post-war realities," he added.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in December 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had discussed with parliamentarians the possibility of holding elections during martial law and expects the Verkhovna Rada to present its own vision of this issue.

After that, at the end of December, a parliamentary working group began work on preparing comprehensive legislative proposals on the specifics of the procedure for organizing and holding elections during a special period and/or post-war elections in Ukraine.

The Central Election Commission proposes to establish a 6-month preparatory (or transitional) period after the end of martial law and before the start of the electoral process.

Among the key challenges of post-war elections or elections during a special state of emergency, the CEC names millions of Ukrainian voters abroad who need to be provided with the opportunity to vote. According to the CEC, out of 6.5 million Ukrainians abroad, 350,000 voters are registered with consular authorities.