Ukraine’s Parliament Extends Martial Law, Pushing Back Election Timeline

Ukraine’s martial law system allows for military conscription and the suspension of certain political activities, including regular democratic elections.
Ukraine’s Parliament Extends Martial Law, Pushing Back Election Timeline
A soldier of the 13th Khartiia Brigade in a trench during a snowstorm in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 6, 2024. Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images
Ryan Morgan
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Ukrainian lawmakers voted on April 16 to extend the country’s term of martial law, continuing their wartime authorities and pushing back any possibility of holding new elections until at least August.

Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, initially declared martial law on Feb. 24, 2022, as Russian troops rolled into the country. Lawmakers in Kyiv have continued this martial law declaration in 90-day increments for the past three years.