You're reading: Election Commission head calls for legislation to enable military men to vote in Donbas

The Ukrainian Central Election Commission has recalled that the voting by military men in the area of the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine can only be settled through legislation.

“The Central Election Commission has not violated and is not violating the law on the elections of people’s deputies of Ukraine,” Central Election Commission Chairman Mykhailo Okhendovsky told on Oct. 23, commenting on the statement by Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko that the Central Election Commission should decide on whether the troops located in the area of the military operation in eastern Ukraine can vote in the Oct. 26 elections within two days.

“Due to the direct norms of the Constitution, due to the fact that we will now be deciding on the voting by the displaced persons from Donbas, we have to decide on the issue of the right of our troops in the anti-terrorist operation zone to vote […] I hope the Central Election Commission, as a collegial body, will find the legal and political will to resolve this issue,” Petrenko told reporters on Oct. 23.

Okhendovsky earlier said the Central Election Commission cannot resolve this issue because it can only be resolved through legislation.

“The Central Election Commission has absolutely no way to make decisions to change the voting procedures, including for the military men, the documents on the basis of which ballots can be received, because it is expressly stated by the law on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine,” he said.

According to earlier reports, the Verkhovna Rada on Oct. 20 could not put on the agenda the bills on the organization of the election process (authored by David Zhvania) and on the exercise of the constitutional electoral rights of participants in the military operation in the October 26 parliamentary elections (author Leonid Yemets).

The early elections to the Verkhovna Rada will be held on Oct. 26.