Strengthening Ukraine’s preparedness for post-war elections

With millions of Ukrainians displaced across Europe, ensuring their right to vote is central to Ukraine’s democratic recovery. In 2025 Ukraine’s Central Election Commission, with International IDEA’s support, conducted eight consultative missions to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden—countries hosting a combined total of more than 1.5 million Ukrainian voters. The consultations brought together electoral authorities and government institutions to address legal frameworks, security, logistics, data protection and the use of non-diplomatic voting premises.

These exchanges strengthened institutional trust, clarified host-country requirements and informed realistic models for administering large-scale out-of-country voting. A concluding dialogue at the European Parliament consolidated lessons learned and advanced international coordination, significantly improving Ukraine’s readiness to prevent democratic exclusion abroad.

Preparing for post-war elections in Ukraine also demands institutional resilience in the face of security threats, cyber risks and persistent information warfare. International IDEA supported Ukraine’s Central Election Commission in strengthening its preparedness in three critical areas related to these challenges: (a) electoral risk management; (b) communication; and (c) information and communications technology and cybersecurity.