Next Ukrainian parliamentary election

The next Ukrainian parliamentary election will be a general countrywide election of members of the Ukrainian parliament that will take place after the end of the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[2] According to the Ukrainian electoral code,^[3] the electoral process should start within a month from the cancellation of the state of martial law that was introduced in 2022 following the Russian invasion. The previous parliamentary election in Ukraine was held on 21 July 2019.^[4]

Next Ukrainian parliamentary election

← 2019

All 450 (possibly 300)^[1] seats in the Verkhovna Rada 226 (possibly 151)^[1] seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Current seats SN Olena Shuliak 235 YeS Petro Poroshenko 27 Batkivshchyna Yulia Tymoshenko 24 PLP Yuriy Boyko 22 Holos Kira Rudyk 20 Dovira Oleh Kulinich 19 ZM Ihor Palytsia 17 Restoration Maxim Efimov 17 Independents – 22 Vacant – 46 Incumbent Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal Independent

Background

The previous parliamentary elections in 2019 were snap ones, called in July instead of the regular constitutionally-prescribed late October date. The first meeting of the elected deputies took place on 29 August 2019.^[5] According to Article 77 of the Constitution, regular elections to the Verkhovna Rada take place on the last Sunday of October of the fifth year of parliamentary powers. Thus, if not for the war, the regular parliamentary elections would have taken place on 29 October 2023.^[6][7]

Ukrainian martial law does not allow the holding of elections while the state of martial law is in effect.^[8] This provision is stated in Article 19 of the law adopted in 2015;^[9] the same provision was stated in Article 19 of the previous law adopted in 2000.^[10] Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since 24 February 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[11] Electoral rights are not listed in Article 64 of the Constitution among the rights and freedoms that cannot be withheld in the state of martial law.^[12]

According to Article 83 of the Constitution, if the five-year authority of the Verkhovna Rada expires while martial law is in effect, its authority is extended until the first meeting of Verkhovna Rada of next convocation elected after the cancellation of the state of martial law.^[12]

A survey conducted by Razumkov Centre in September 2023 showed that only 15% of those surveyed supported holding elections during wartime, while 64% were against.^[13] In a survey conducted by Rating for the International Republican Institute, 62% replied that considering the war, if a decision about the necessity of elections is to be made, the elections should begin to be held only after the war, even if this means waiting even longer [than March 2025].^[14]

In 2021, there were rumors that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would call for snap elections in 2021, but also that he could use a provision to "collide" parliament's term with the 2024 Ukrainian presidential election.^[15] On 22 June 2023, President Zelenskyy announced that the elections will not be held as scheduled in 2023 due to ongoing martial law, and will be held in 2024 only if martial law is ended by then.^[16] On 17 August 2023, martial law was extended for a further 90 days until 15 November 2023, which means the election could not take place on 29 October 2023 as originally planned.^[17]

Electoral system

On 1 January 2020 the latest revision of the electoral code of Ukraine took effect. It states that all deputies are elected on a party list in one nationwide constituency with a 5% election threshold with open regional lists of candidates for deputies.^[18] The new election law abolishes the single-member constituency system used since the 2012 parliamentary election.^[a] Under the previous system, the 450 members of the Verkhovna Rada were elected by two methods; 225 by closed list proportional representation in a nationwide constituency with a 5% threshold, and 225 in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.^[20]

On 4 February 2020, the parliament approved in the first reading (with 236 votes) a presidential bill to reduce the number of parliamentary deputies from 450 to 300.^[1] To do so, the Ukrainian Constitution needs to be altered, and this will require at least 300 parliamentary votes.^[1]

Parties

The table below lists parties currently represented in the Verkhovna Rada.^[21]

Parties		Leader(s)	Parliamentary leader(s)	Ideology	Position	Seats
						Last election	Before election
	Servant of the People	Olena Shuliak	Davyd Arakhamia	Centrism	Centre	254 / 450	235 / 450
	European Solidarity	Petro Poroshenko	Iryna Herashchenko Artur Herasymov	Liberal conservatism	Centre-right	25 / 450	27 / 450
	Batkivshchyna	Yulia Tymoshenko		Conservatism	Centre-right	26 / 450	24 / 450
	Platform for Life and Peace	Yuriy Boyko		Social democracy^[22]		Did not exist	22 / 450
	Holos	Kira Rudyk	Oleksandra Ustinova	Liberalism	Centre-right	20 / 450	20 / 450
	Dovira	Olena Kyivets	Oleh Kulinich	Regionalism	Centre	Did not exist	19 / 450
	For the Future	Ihor Palytsia	Taras Batenko	Populism	Centre-right	Did not exist	17 / 450
	Restoration of Ukraine	Maxim Efimov				Did not exist	17 / 450

Former party

Parties		Leader(s)	Parliamentary leader(s)	Ideology	Position	Seats
						Last election	Before election
	Opposition Platform — For Life	Yuriy Boyko Vadim Rabinovich		Russophilia	Centre	43 / 450	Banned

Suspended parties

Martial law in Ukraine was declared on 24 February 2022. On 15 March 2022, the Verkhovna Rada deprived opposition MP Illia Kyva of his mandate.^[23]

On 20 March 2022, the activities of several political parties were suspended by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine for the period of martial law:^[24][25]

• Derzhava
• Left Opposition
• Nashi
• Opposition Bloc
• Opposition Platform — For Life
• Party of Shariy
• Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine
• Socialist Party of Ukraine
• Socialists
• Union of Left Forces
• Volodymyr Saldo Bloc

Opinion polls

Main article: Opinion polling for the next Ukrainian parliamentary election

 

See also

• 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election
• Next Ukrainian presidential election

Notes

1. Previous electoral reform passed in July 2019 also made all 450 members only elected by open list proportional representation; but it would not come into force until 1 December 2023.^[19]

References

1. (in Ukrainian) The Verkhovna Rada has previously approved the reduction of the number of people's deputies to 300 and the transition to a proportional electoral system, Interfax-Ukraine (4 February 2020)
2. Deprez, Fabrice (2023-10-04). "Ukraine Is Already Working on Its Next Election. The challenges of holding a vote in wartime are both small and big—and often unexpected". Foreign Policy.
3. Electoral Code of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada, 2020. Article 20.
4. Final Ukraine Election Results Confirm Zelenskiy Landslide, RFE/RL (26 July 2019)
5. Rada’s solemn sitting takes place at VRU’s premises Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 29 August 2019
6. "'Grenade among birthday gifts' kills adviser to Ukraine's military chief". The Guardian. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
7. "Конституція України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-11-20.
8. "No elections can be held in Ukraine while martial law in effect – National Security and Defence Council". Ukrainska Pravda. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
9. (in Ukrainian) On the Legal Regime of Martial Law Law, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2015
10. (in Ukrainian) On the Legal Regime of Martial Law Void Law, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2000
11. "Parliament extends martial law, general mobilization in Ukraine for another 90 days". Ukrinform. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
12. Constitution of Ukraine per Council of Europe website as accessed on 22 May 2023
13. Центр, Разумков. "Оцінка громадянами ситуації в країні. Довіра до соціальних інститутів, політиків, посадовців та громадських діячів. Ставлення до проведення загальнонаціональних виборів в Україні до завершення війни (вересень 2023р.)". razumkov.org.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-10-18.
14. "National Survey of Ukraine, September 2023" (PDF). iri.org. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
15. "Перевибори цієї осені чи проблема-2023? До чого готується Зеленський та опозиція". Hromadske.TV (in Ukrainian). 2 Aug 2021.
16. "Ukraine to hold elections after war ends, says Zelenskyy". english.nv.ua. The New Voice of Ukraine. 22 June 2023. from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
17. Stern, David L.; Ebel, Francesca (2023-08-17). "Zelensky extends martial law, casting doubt on fall parliamentary elections". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
18. Electoral Code becomes effective in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine (1 January 2020)
19. Ukraine finally gets a new Election Code. It’s the first step to an effective political system Euromaidan Press, 12 July 2019
20. Ukraine IFES
21. "Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України". w1.c1.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
22. "Підтримують Зеленського і курс на ЄС та планують ребрендинг: як живе ОПЗЖ після розколу і заборони?". www.radiosvoboda.org. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
23. "Kyva is no longer a People's Deputy". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
24. "NSDC bans pro-Russian parties in Ukraine". Ukrinform. March 20, 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
25. "As it happened: Ukraine war latest: Resilience making Russia assess reality, negotiator says".

External links

• Central Election Commission of Ukraine