Election Campaigns Abroad: International Practice and Recommendations for Ukraine
The event will be held in a hybrid format, offering both in-person and online participation options.
This event is co-organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), along with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP), the Center for Political and Legal Reforms (CPLR), the OPORA Civic Network, and the Chesno Movement.
The purpose of the event is to discuss the challenges and find solutions to the problems of political campaigning abroad in Ukraine’s post-war elections. The panel discussion will focus on the challenges political parties face when organizing campaigns abroad, difficulties in reaching voters, campaigning forms and limitations, diaspora engagement, and the complex regulations surrounding campaign financing across borders. The discussion also explores international practices, highlighting how other countries manage overseas campaigning, and compares these with Ukraine’s national legislation and regulatory framework. The goal is to identify effective strategies and understand the legal boundaries for conducting political campaigns outside a party’s home country.
During the event, International IDEA will present a comprehensive study: “Out-of-Country Campaigning Legal Regulations and Practices across 27 European Union Member States.” Also, in the context of discussing the issue of political communication with Ukrainian voters abroad, participants will be presented with OPORA's interim results of political dialogues with communities in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania.
Watch the event LIVE on International IDEA's YouTube channel.
Speakers
Agenda items
9:00 - 9:30 Registration and coffee
9:30 - 9:45 Introductory remarks:
● Oleksandr Korniienko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (to be confirmed)
● Sam van der Staak,Director for Europe, International IDEA
● Kaisa Ollongren,EU Special Representative for Human Rights (to be confirmed)
Moderator: Alina Zagoruiko, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Elections, Referendums, and Other Forms of Direct Democracy of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning
Challenges and solutions to the issue of political campaigning in post-war elections abroad
9:45 - 10:00 Presentation "Out-of-Country Campaigning Legal Regulations and Practices across 27 European Union Member States" Q&A. Yuliya Shypilova, International IDEA
10:00 - 12:30 Panel discussion: Challenges of organising campaigns abroad for political parties: an overview of international and Ukrainian regulations and practices
10:00 - 11:30 Challenges of campaigning: financing political campaigns abroad, available forms of campaigning, Q&A
Moderator:
Olena Yena, Head of the National Democratic Institute's office in Ukraine
Speakers:
Arseniy Pushkarenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Servant of the People faction
Olga Snopok, OPORA Civil Network
Anton Chirkin, Expert on constitutional law at the Center for Political and Legal Reforms (CPLR)
NACP - tbc
Viktoria Maksimova, CHESNO Movement
11:30 - 12:00 Experience of other countries in conducting campaigning abroad: France, Moldova, Q&A
Moderator:
Yuliya Shypilova, International IDEA
Speakers:
Dylan Boutiflat, International Relations Secretary of France’s Socialist Party (TBC)
Mariana Lucreteanu, Former State Secretary | Former MP – Social, Labor & Migration Policy | Expert in Diaspora Engagement, Refugee Protection & Human Rights, Moldova
Martin Ange, Senior Advisor, Hybrid CoE
12:00 - 12:30 National legislative regulation of campaigning abroad, Q&A
Moderator:
Alina Zagoruiko, Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Q&A
Speakers:
Yulia Kyrychenko, Member of the Board of the Centre for Political and Legal Reforms
Olga Kotsyuruba, Senior Legal Adviser of the OPORA Civil Network
12:30 - 12.45 - Coffee Break
Maintaining political ties with Ukrainian voters abroad: challenges and prospects
12:45 - 13:30 Presentation: "Interim results of political dialogues with communities in Germany, the United Kingdom and Lithuania", Q&A
Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the OPORA Civil Network
Challenges of communication and political integration of the diaspora, Q&A
Moderator:
Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the OPORA Civil Network
Speakers:
Natalia Panchenko, Leader of the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland
Ilona Gavronska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine for European Integration (tbc)
13:30 - 14:00
13:30 - 13:55 General discussion. Conclusions, Yuliya Shypilova, International IDEA
13:55 - 14:00 Closing remarks, Alina Zagoruiko, Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning
14:00 Coffee break and networking
Speakers
