Ukraine’s parliament extends martial law and mobilization period

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved a 90-day extension of the period of martial law and general mobilization that was declared after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Out of the 348 deputies in Ukraine’s parliament, 329 voted in favor of extending martial law, and 322 voted in favor of extending mobilization.

Both bills were submitted to the Verkhovna Rada the day before by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the ninth time martial law and general mobilization have been extended since the start of the war.

During martial law in Ukraine, according to current legislation, conducting presidential, parliamentary, and local elections is prohibited. Accordingly, the parliamentary elections, which were scheduled for October 31, 2023, were postponed.

Ukraine’s presidential elections are scheduled for March 2024. In late August, Zelensky announced that he intends to run for the Ukrainian presidency again if elections are held next year and the war is still going on. However, at the beginning of November, Zelensky said “now is not the time” to hold Ukraine’s next presidential election.