Any polls on election day not provided for in Ukraine's Electoral Code – CVU

The procedure for conducting a poll on the day of local elections, which was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is not provided for in the Electoral Code, the Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) has said in a statement on its Facebook page.

"The Committee of Voters of Ukraine is concerned about the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to conduct a nationwide poll on the day of voting in regular local elections on October 25. The procedure for conducting a nationwide poll on election day is not provided for in the Electoral Code of Ukraine," the statement reads.

The committee said that as of today it is unclear what legal mechanisms can be used to conduct such polls, who will conduct them, how the questions will be determined, how the voting procedure will take place, whether the poll will be conducted at polling stations or outside them, and what legal consequences the results of the poll will bear.

"If members of precinct election commissions are involved in the poll, it will contradict the current legislation. The Electoral Code of Ukraine clearly provides for a set of procedures used in voting in local elections and defines the powers of members of election commissions," the CVU said.

It warned that any additional burden on commission members could potentially block the election process, given that there are 12 days left until election day.

In addition, according to the statement, conducting polls requires serious preparations.

"Voters should have enough time to make a well-thought-out choice about a particular question, whereas supporters and opponents of different answers should have opportunities to hold campaign work among citizens. In the current conditions, compliance with these basic rules is impossible and can be seen as a manipulative technology and an attempt to influence the results of the vote," the statement said.

Zelensky in his video address on October 13 called on Ukrainians to come to the polls on Sunday, October 25, and answer five important questions.

The Verkhovna Rada scheduled regular local elections in Ukraine for October 25.

op