Not only local, but also presidential and parliamentary elections should take place throughout the whole territory of Ukraine. It cannot be that somewhere people are deprived of the possibility to express their will. This is the main principle. And we have to jointly decide how to achieve it, said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, during the forum “Effective Local Self-Government as Key to a Democratic and Law-Governed State”, held in Kramatorsk.

“We held a special meeting with the representatives of the Central Election Commission, state administrations and defense and law enforcement agencies on the issue of elections in hromadas of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. Then we agreed that the military-civil administrations of these oblasts would once again analyse the situation in detail with the hromadas themselves, and send the relevant letters to the CEC. As a result, the elections were appointed in eight hromadas of the Luhansk Oblast and still not appointed in five AHs there. In the Donetsk Oblast one hromada will hold elections this year, another six are still waiting,” commented Vyacheslav Nehoda.

He stressed that the main thing is to provide people in all hromadas with the opportunity to vote. “Therefore, it is necessary to continue the dialogue, listen to hromadas’ residents, understand the mood of people and do everything to make the elections in all AHs possible,” said the First Deputy Minister.

“There is a war on the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, but this is here, where we must and can make a big breakthrough in the formation of effective local self-government. When we form wealthy hromadas here, create a territory of success, it will bring our victory faster, than any words. It is this that the efforts of MinRegion, the Government as a whole and our international partners are aimed at,” summed up Vyacheslav Nehoda.

Background

There are 10 amalgamated hromadas functioning in the Donetsk Oblast. One more AH will hold its first elections on 23 December 2018. 6 hromadas are waiting for the elections to be appointed.

There are 9 AHs functioning in the Luhansk Oblast. Another 8 AHs will have their first elections on 23 December 2018. Five hromadas are waiting for the elections to be appointed.