Disinformation, Unequal Access to Audiences, and the Vulnerability of Certain Groups Pose Threats to Post-war Elections

Civil Network OPORA held a forum titled “Key Challenges of Electoral Democracy after the Great War” on March 23. The opening remarks were delivered by Andrew Ockenden, Development Director and Head of the Programmes Team at the UK Government at the British Embassy in Ukraine; Gediminas Navickas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine; and Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Keynote speech address by Olha Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, at the Forum “Challenges to Electoral Democracy After the Great War,” held in Kyiv on March 23.

PROGRAM of the FORUM of the Civil Network OPORA “Key Challenges of Electoral Democracy after the Great War”

At the end of December 2025, against the backdrop of negotiations with the United States regarding a 20-point peace plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, the President of Ukraine made a number of statements concerning the possibility of holding a referendum on a peace agreement with Russia and the territorial issues included in such an agreement. The Constitution of Ukraine allows for changes to the territory of Ukraine, provided that such changes are approved by a nationwide referendum. At the same time, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is experiencing an institutional crisis, which calls into question its ability to deliver decisions within the time limits prescribed by law. In addition, any change to the territory of Ukraine may be confirmed by a referendum only through the approval, at such a referendum, of a law on the ratification of an international agreement providing for such changes, adopted by parliament and signed by the President. Civil Network OPORA has examined the main challenges related to the preparation and conduct of such a referendum, as well as the establishment of its results.

On December 10, the Draft Law "On Political Parties" No. 14289 was registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The bill was initiated by several MPs from various factions, and the drafting team included experts from civil society organizations, including Civil Network OPORA. The bill is a new version of the law on political parties and provides for comprehensive reform, specifically with respect to registration, membership, internal party democracy rules, financing, accountability, and related areas.

Speech by Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the OPORA Civil Network, at an event marking the anniversary of the signing of the “Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation,” held in Geneva on December 10–12, 2025.

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.