Council of Europe preparing for first post-war elections in Ukraine, says Alain Berset

The Council of Europe has begun preparations for the first elections in Ukraine after the end of the war. Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset said this in an interview with the publication Rapporteur, adding that these efforts are also aimed at restoring trust in democracy across Europe.

Organising free voting

According to the Secretary-General, work is already underway in Europe to ensure conditions for free and fair voting in Ukraine on the day when it becomes possible.

Complex challenges of post-war recovery

Alain Berset noted that elections will be only one component of restoring democracy. He emphasised that Ukraine will have to not merely restore what has been destroyed, but rebuild a society that can continue to believe in democracy.

«Величезним викликом стануть ветерани. Тобто їхня реінтеграція в суспільство, допомога сім’ям, яких розʼєднала війна, людям, переміщеним всередині та за межами країни, дітям, які втратили роки навчання, а також вплив на психічне здоров’я» (A huge challenge will be the veterans. That is, their reintegration into society, helping families separated by the war, people displaced within and outside the country, children who have lost years of schooling, as well as the impact on mental health), he said.

Link to trust in institutions

The Secretary-General added that the success of this process depends on whether Ukrainians trust their own institutions. He recalled that the Council of Europe has collaborated with Kyiv for decades in the fight against corruption and on reforms that are now at the centre of debates in Brussels regarding further support for Ukraine.