The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the parliament a decree on the extension of martial law and general mobilization for 90 days — until February 14, 2024. If the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) supports the initiative, the question of holding spring elections in Ukraine will most likely be removed, as there will not be enough time to prepare for them.
Voting is scheduled for next week, as the MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak informed. This will be the ninth vote of the parliament for martial law since the beginning of the war.
The process of extending martial law follows the following procedure: first, the president signs two decrees, then they are submitted for approval to the Verkhovna Rada, then to the Defense Committee, and then put to a vote in the hall — in support of this decision, there must be at least 226 votes.
Election issue
The eighth presidential election of Ukraine since the declaration of Ukraineʼs independence in 1991 should be held in the spring of 2024. The first round is March 31, and the second (if assigned) is April 21. If itʼs about the extension of martial law until the middle of February 2024, then there will not be enough time to start the election campaign.
According to the Ukrainian election legislation, the submission of the package of necessary documents for the registration of candidates to participate in the elections to the Central Election Commission ends fifty-five days before the election day.
- Currently, martial law is in effect in Ukraine until November 16, 2023. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, martial law has been imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization has been declared, which prohibits conscripts from leaving the country, except for certain exceptions.