Key Challenges Related to Possible Holding of an All-Ukrainian Referendum on Changes to Ukraine's Territory

Civil Network OPORA presented the results of monitoring 11 hromadas regarding the possibility of holding elections there. The results were made public during a roundtable discussion titled “Assessing the Security Situation in Hromadas: The First Step Toward Safe Postwar Elections” on December 12.

A security audit is a universal monitoring tool for assessing institutional capacity. It provides a transparent framework for decision-making on whether elections can or cannot be held in specific territories. The audit results are accessible to society, the state, and Ukraine’s Western partners alike. The assessment covers the following areas: basic preconditions, physical security, socio-economic factors, and the state of democratic processes.

On October 31, 2025, a round table titled "Electoral Campaigns Abroad: International Practice and Recommendations for Ukraine" was held in Kyiv in a hybrid format. Participants discussed challenges and sought solutions for political campaigning in post-war elections abroad. They also explored how other countries organize out-of-country campaigns and analyzed how these international experiences correlate with Ukrainian national legislation.

Abuse of administrative resources, bribery, exclusion of some voters from the electoral rolls, limited access to the media, and other forms of electoral violations undermine trust in the process and delegitimize its results. However, there is one type of violation that not only breaches the democratic order of power transfer but also poses a threat to the sovereignty and security of the state in general—foreign interference in elections. The attempts by Russia to influence elections and referenda as part of the Kremlin’s aggressive policy are officially recognised. In its recent Resolution, “Foreign interference: a threat to democratic security in Europe” (2593), released in 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe directly stated the escalation of Russian interference. For Ukraine, whose political environment has long been filled with pro-Russian politicians and parties, the outlined problem is not new. Therefore, OPORA has initiated a legal research devoted to countering foreign financial influence on parties and electoral processes. In this text, we examined the experiences of countries that have recently introduced relevant legal changes.

On September 23–24, the European Parliament is hosting the conference “FURIC 2025. Technologies for Trust: Innovating for Election Integrity in a Changing Global Order”, where civil society leaders, international organizations, and policymakers discussed how to safeguard election integrity and public trust in times of digital threats and authoritarian influence. The event is organized by the European Platform for Democratic Elections. Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, delivered a speech on the first day of the conference. Below, we share the full text of her address.

The document is intended to consolidate the efforts of the parties to strengthen democratic institutions in Ukraine, bringing them closer to European standards, and to protect citizens' political (particularly electoral) rights. This is important, as respect for human rights is a key political criterion for EU accession.

On July 10, 2025, a group of people's deputies from the “Batkivshchyna” and “Servant of the People” factions registered draft law No. 13464, which provides for changes in the organization of the preparation and conduct of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine and local elections. Civil Network OPORA has prepared an analysis of this legislative initiative, assessing the potential consequences of the proposed changes.

The Civil Network OPORA has prepared an analytical brief on legislative initiatives to change the electoral systems for local and parliamentary elections. According to analysts and legal experts, the draft laws registered in the Verkhovna Rada primarily focus on the mechanics of electoral systems, while overlooking comprehensive solutions for millions of military personnel and displaced persons, as well as security issues at polling stations. While the discussion about the optimal electoral model is necessary, it should be secondary to the primary goal — the protection of voting rights.