Breakfast seminar: Challenges with organizing post-war elections in Ukraine

As Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty and democratic institutions in the face of Russia’s full-scale aggression, the question of how future post-war elections can be organized in a credible, inclusive, and secure way is becoming increasingly important. While the timing of such elections remains a sovereign decision of Ukraine, early discussion of the challenges and requirements is both timely and necessary. 

Ukraine has been characterized as a pluralistic but institutionally fragile democracy. As a result of the war, Ukrainian pluralism must now grapple with new and contentious issues. This seminar will provide a space for informed discussion on the legal, operational, security and societal dimensions of post-war electoral preparedness in Ukraine. The event will also address how some old political divisions in Ukraine have intensified as result of the war and how new ones have emerged. The discussion will also explore issues such as

• security conditions for future elections;
• legal and constitutional considerations in the transition from wartime governance;
• participation of internally displaced persons, refugees and citizens abroad;
• voter registers, polling infrastructure and electoral logistics;
• disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference, and other threats to electoral integrity;
• public communication and trust-building;
• the role of international partners in supporting Ukraine’s democratic resilience.

This seminar is co-organized by the NUPI Ukraine Centre at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), International IDEA and UKRAINETT.

A light breakfast will be served from 08:30, and the event lasts from 09:00 to 10:30. We will also live stream the event to NUPI’s YouTube channel (no registration needed for digital participation).

Watch the event streaming on Youtube

Programme

• Welcome and presentation of program, Kari Osland, Director, NUPI.
• Introduction, Oleh Didenko, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine.
• Vitaliy Plukar, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine: Challenges in organizing elections in Ukraine.
• Jørn Holm-Hansen, Research Professor, NIBR - OsloMet: Political divisions in war time Ukraine.
• Panel discussion and Q&A from audience. Chair: Natalia Moen-Larsen (NUPI and Head of the NUPI Ukraine Centre).
  - Aadne Aasland, Research professor, NIBR - OsloMet, Head of UKRAINETT
  - Jørn Holm-Hansen, Research Professor, NIBR - OsloMet
  - Yuliya Shypilova, Programme Manager, Ukraine, International IDEA
  - Vitaliy Plukar, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  - Oleh Didenko, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of  Ukraine is also available for questions from the audience
• Closing remarks, Natalia Moen-Larsen (NUPI).