Elections in 45 AHs of 10 oblasts with the martial law introduced until 26 December 2018 may take place simultaneously with the presidential election in March 2019, informed Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, on the air of the “Pryamyi” TV Channel.

“It is a very important interconnection, when along with election of the President of Ukraine people will elect future local leaders – heads of AHs,” said Hennadii Zubko.

He stressed that the process of voluntary amalgamation should be completed by 2020. “If this does not happen, we will again have discrimination against Ukrainians. Most of them will live in amalgamated and empowered hromadas, while others will remain in the village or settlement councils, that practically do not affect their future. Therefore, 2019 will be the key year. We need to complete voluntary amalgamation. Then we have to decide on the merger with existing AHs. In 2020, local elections should take place on a new territorial basis. And for this we must mobilise the efforts of all participants of the process – central and local authorities, local self-government bodies, the Verkhovna Rada and international partners,” said Hennadii Zubko.

It should be mentioned that the Central Election Committee postponed elections in 45 AHs of 10 oblasts, where the martial law was introduced for a month from 26 November 2018, namely the Vinnytsia, Luhansk, Mykolayiv, Sumy, Odesa, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts.