6.5 million Ukrainians reside in Europe: Central Election Commission proposes how to vote

To determine where to establish additional polling stations abroad, it is necessary to initiate an active registration process, during which Ukrainian citizens will be able to declare their intention to vote at a specific location.

CEC Chairman Oleh Didenko stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

Responding to a question about how to organize voting abroad, when only about 350,000 of the 6.5 million Ukrainians in Europe are registered with consulates, Didenko said: “The idea is to launch an active registration procedure in advance, before the start of the electoral process, when any voter can personally apply to the relevant institution or online, including through Diia app, stating that ”I want to vote in such and such a place abroad."

According to him, based on the results of collecting this information, as well as information from embassies, it will become clear where additional polling stations need to be set up. In addition, as the CEC Chairman reminded, it will be possible to utilize tools that have proven effective in the past, such as updating one's electoral address and temporarily changing one's voting location.

“But all this requires the active participation of citizens, because if the state does not know that a citizen is abroad, does not know that a citizen wants to exercise their right to vote there, then the state cannot provide them with this opportunity,” Didenko stressed.

He emphasized that all additional mechanisms currently being developed will only take effect if the relevant law approves them.

As reported, on December 26, the first online meeting of the working group on preparing legislative proposals for elections in special or post-war periods, headed by First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, took place. It comprises 62 individuals, including representatives from the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, and civil society.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that if the ratification of the peace agreement between Ukraine, the US, Russia, and Europe, if signed, requires a nationwide referendum, it could be held together with the presidential elections in Ukraine. This could happen as early as 60 or 90 days after the agreement is signed.

The President noted that paragraph 18 of the draft document on ending the war stipulates that elections in Ukraine should be held as soon as possible after the signing of the peace agreement.