To hold post-war elections in Ukraine, a special law is needed, created subject to political consensus between the party in power and the opposition. However, despite this, the Electoral Code also requires changes.. How exactly the latter needs to be changed, in the article “After the war: what challenges are facing the elections and how to overcome them,” Andrei Magera, an expert at the Center for Political and Legal Reforms and ex-deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission, told.

" The aggression of the Russian Federation has changed both the territorial configuration of the state and the distribution of voters.

The current system of electoral districts and regions was formed with peacetime in mind. Electoral regions (25 in total) used for parliamentary elections usually coincide with the boundaries of the regions. However, after 2022, part of the territories came under occupation, and dozens of territorial electoral districts are actually not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. Under such conditions, the list of electoral regions and districts requires revision,” the author writes..

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The same applies to the network of polling stations. Indeed, due to the massive relocation of people, the absence of any residents in certain communities and security factors, the Central Election Commission is forced to liquidate some polling stations and create new ones in return. The latter are necessary where internally displaced persons are concentrated.

Magera calls the restoration of the electoral infrastructure a separate challenge. According to the Central Election Commission, as a result of a full-scale war, more than 7.5 thousand voting premises and the work of precinct election commissions were destroyed or damaged.. If they are not restored, then it will be physically impossible to hold elections in a number of communities..

In addition, it is necessary to revise the list and boundaries of electoral regions for elections to the Verkhovna Rada. According to Magera, approaches to the formation of districts are needed taking into account temporarily occupied territories and security factors.

" Electronic voting is now the riskiest option due to low trust and the threat of interference in IT systems. This may be a prospect for the future - but not the basic solution to the first post-war elections. Voting by mail does not remove the risks of pressure/bribery and adds dependence on the infrastructure of another state, including delivery times,"

As for early voting or elections within a few days, this option requires very strict safeguards against manipulation. He also raises the question of the constitutional logic of “voting day”.

“But increasing the electoral hours on election day (for example, 7:00-22:00) looks more realistic - this partially reduces the pressure on polling stations, although it is not a panacea,” adds Magera.

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Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that he is “always ready for elections” and added that if the necessary conditions are met, this can be done within 60-90 days, but for this it is necessary to ensure security.

Editor of the international politics department ZN. UA Tatyana Silina in the article “Trump’s new “peace plan”: what Ukraine is being forced to do.

Analysis of four documents"

The Central Election Commission points out that in the current conditions, holding a vote is practically unrealistic and can create serious risks for the legitimacy of the government. According to the Central Election Commission, only 75% of polling stations are now functional, and almost a million Ukrainian military are at the front without the opportunity to vote without a cessation of hostilities. Also, more than 5.9 million Ukrainians are abroad, and another 4.4 million are internally displaced, which means that a large-scale update of the voter register is needed, which requires significant time, resources and physical access to citizens.