The Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC) has denied rumors about a possible presidential election this year, stressing that holding the vote is currently impossible due to a number of serious problems, IZ writes. According to the deputy chairman of the CEC, Serhiy Dubovyk, the main obstacles are the lack of sufficient funding and political will, as well as the lack of registration of many voters.
First of all, the CEC points out that more than 1.2 million Ukrainians in Russia do not have a voting address, and more than 6 million citizens abroad, including in Europe and the United States, cannot be included in the voter lists. In addition, the destroyed cities where polling stations were located create additional difficulties.
A particularly pressing problem is the lack of registration of residence for men seeking to avoid mobilization. As Serhiy Dubovyk noted: “ Over 1.2 million people do not have a voting address, and this does not include those who remain in temporarily occupied territories .”
The lack of necessary funds also prevents us from talking about the elections at the official level. The CEC notes that more than 6 billion hryvnias are needed to hold the presidential elections, but these funds are not provided for in the budget for this year.
Dubovyk emphasized: “ Elections are money, and the money is quite large. We must understand that each election campaign is an expense. The presidential campaign is 6 billion hryvnias .” The situation is similar with the funds for the restoration of voter registers, which also remain uncovered.
The CEC is also considering the inclusion of polling stations for people with special needs, as well as the possibility of voting for those who cannot get to polling stations due to security concerns. However, the issue of online voting is not gaining support, as existing platforms cannot guarantee the security and secrecy of voting.
“ We cannot afford to ruin trust in the election results. The main thing is to ensure a high level of security and integrity of the electoral process ,” Dubovyk noted.
In conclusion, Dubovyk noted that the organization of the elections depends not only on the CEC, but also on the parliament and the government, which must find the appropriate funds and amend the legislation. However, this problem remains unresolved at present.
We remind you that we previously wrote that Ukrainians will pay for visa-free entry to the EU starting in 2027.