On May 30-31, 2023, IFES Ukraine participated in the “Parliamentary Electoral Dialogue: Challenges and Needs for Holding Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) in Ukraine’s Post-War Elections.” The event was hosted by International IDEA and the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Participants from Ukraine included members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and civil society organizations. The event also assembled election administrators from EU member and candidate states, the US and the UK, Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR, and other international organizations.

In her opening remarks, Head of the Verkhovna Rada’s State Building Committee and Head of the Servant of the People Party Ms. Olena Shuliak stressed the need to choose a voting modality that largely enfranchises Ukrainian citizens abroad. Drawing on IFES Ukraine’s Technical Assessment of Out-of-Country Voting, she elaborated on key challenges inherent to the expanded in-person voting, postal voting, and internet voting. Ms. Shuliak acknowledged the need to amend the electoral legislation to facilitate the voting process abroad after the war.

CEC Chair Oleh Didenko added that organizing voting abroad during the first post-war elections will be one of the biggest challenges for the election administration in the history of independent Ukraine. “Victory is crucial, but it is only the first step,” said Mr. Didenko.

International IDEA’s Director for Europe Mr. Sam van der Staak underlined that enfranchising those who found refuge outside their home country will deepen Ukraine’s democratic consolidation, which is essential for EU accession. “Out-of-country voting will be a demonstration of Ukraine’s democratic sovereignty and its electoral integrity in the face of Russia’s barbaric attack,” noted Mr. Van der Staak.

In his presentation, IFES Senior International Advisor Harald Jepsen shared that out-of-country voting may help migrants and refugees maintain ties with their home country. IFES Ukraine Democracy and Governance Advisor Anna Denis presented key findings stemming from IFES Ukraine’s technical assessment of out-country voting as well as recommendations for modifying the current mechanism for voter registration and the conduct of voting.

IFES Ukraine believes that regardless of which out-of-country-voting modality Ukraine will choose, it should be tailored specifically to Ukraine’s context with consideration of all available resources. It is equally important to ensure that such a decision is preceded by transparent and inclusive consultations involving all relevant stakeholders. The preparation for the first post-war elections, whenever they are called, should start now to allow enough time for preparations.

To learn more about the out-of-country voting process for post-war Ukraine read full IFES Ukraine’s technical assessment report here. This report was presented to Ukrainian lawmakers and electoral stakeholders in Kyiv on May 15.

Moving forward, IFES Ukraine will inform ongoing discussions on possible legal changes in this direction to safeguard electoral participation and integrity in line with international standards.