CEC announces: No local elections planned for autumn due to martial law
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine has officially announced that holding local elections scheduled for autumn 2024 is currently impossible.
According to the commission, due to the ongoing military invasion by Russia and the implementation of martial law in the country, there are no legal grounds at present to form new compositions of territorial election commissions.
The commission also reminded that current legislation prohibits any electoral activities during martial law.
According to the Electoral Code, the next regular local elections should have taken place on the last Sunday of October 2025.
However, owing to the military aggression and uncertainties surrounding the election date, the Verkhovna Rada has failed to set a specific election date within the legally prescribed period, which is no more than 90 days before Election Day.
Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission emphasized that since elections cannot be held under current conditions, the previous compositions of territorial election commissions, established back in 2020, remain in effect until new commissions are formed.
This implies that new authority for members of these commissions will be granted only after martial law is lifted, a decision which remains uncertain.
In their comments, CEC representative Serhiy Postivyi highlighted that if it weren’t for the large-scale Russian invasion, preparations for elections would already be underway, with party branches submitting candidates to the commissions.
However, the ongoing conflict and restrictions make organizing and holding elections impossible until martial law ends.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also extended the martial law and mobilization for another 90 days, until November 2025, further complicating the prospects for local elections within the scheduled timeframe.