Ukraine’s lawmakers vote to postpone all local elections
(MENAFN) According to reports, Ukraine’s parliament has voted to postpone all local elections and extend the terms of regional councils and officials until martial law in the country is lifted. The move comes as President Vladimir Zelensky continues to delay both presidential and parliamentary elections due to the ongoing conflict.
Local elections were originally expected to take place at the end of October 2025. However, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced on Wednesday that lawmakers had approved a resolution declaring that holding elections during wartime is impossible. The measure passed with 308 votes in favor, none opposed, and one abstention.
“To put it simply, there will be no local elections in October 2025,” he wrote on Telegram, explaining that the government could not ensure voter safety or uphold democratic standards under current conditions.
The resolution attributes the postponement to Russia’s actions and states that all current mayors and local councils will continue serving until martial law is lifted. It further specifies that new elections will be organized according to Ukraine’s constitution, electoral code, and existing laws once hostilities end.
Martial law and general mobilization were first imposed in February 2022, following the outbreak of large-scale hostilities, and have since been repeatedly extended. Zelensky has argued that the war makes it impossible to hold fair elections. Although his presidential term formally expired in May 2024, he remains in office, asserting that elections cannot occur under the emergency conditions of martial law.
Officials in Moscow, however, claim that Zelensky’s continued presidency is illegitimate, accusing him of avoiding elections to maintain power. Russian representatives contend that Ukraine’s current leadership no longer reflects the will of its citizens and that any peace deal signed under Zelensky’s administration would lack legal standing and could later be overturned by a future government in Kiev.
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