The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has confirmed that it is impossible to hold elections in Ukraine under martial law. The Assembly called on the international community to continue supporting Ukraine so that, once the security situation improves, safe and inclusive elections can be held.
This is stated in the resolution “Elections in times of crisis”, which was supported by 100 delegates during the PACE session in Strasbourg on January 27, with six abstentions.
According to Ukrinform, the document emphasizes that, in accordance with international democratic standards, elections cannot take place during martial law.
The resolution notes that some crises are protracted and have a significant impact on democratic governance. In this context, PACE recalled its own resolution 2605 (2025) on legal issues and human rights violations related to the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.
The Assembly stressed that Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is one of the most serious challenges to human rights and freedoms and the functioning of democratic institutions.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of democracy, based on the five fundamental principles of the European electoral tradition: universal, equal, free, secret, and direct suffrage. The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly demonstrated the impact of emergencies on the functioning of democratic institutions and the democratic process, in particular on the organization and conduct of elections. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, crises such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and the large-scale aggressive war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine have had a significant impact on elections, testing the resilience, integrity, and fairness of electoral processes in emergency situations,” the resolution says.
At the same time, elections are increasingly taking place in conditions of constant tension, in particular due to disinformation, foreign interference, cyber threats, and conflicts.
The Assembly called on member states to update their electoral legislation, ensure transparency in decisions on possible election postponements, strengthen cyber protection, and develop mechanisms to counter disinformation. It also emphasized the need to review approaches to protecting elections and national security in the context of war and hybrid threats.
PACE called for support to be provided to countries that have experienced prolonged conflicts or emergencies, with particular attention to Ukraine, to ensure that safe, inclusive, and reliable elections are held in accordance with European and international standards as soon as conditions allow.