The first meeting of the new Central Election Commission was held on 5 October. There the CEC members discussed election of the Commission’s head, two deputy heads and a secretary, as reported by the press service of the CEC secretariat.

Tetyana Slipachuk was elected as chairman of the Commission by secret voting. The head of the Commission made proposals on the candidates for the positions of Commision’s deputy head and secretary. Following the results of the voting, Oleh Konopolskyi and Yevheniy Radchenko were elected as deputy heads, and Natalia Bernatska was elected as the secretary of the Commission.

The MinRegion greeted the new composition of the Central Election Commission on commencement of its work.

“We greet the new Commission with the start of work. Ensuring the execution and protection of constitutional electoral rights of Ukrainian citizens is a great responsibility of every CEC member. We are convinced that with these tasks the newly elected CEC will handle it with ease. We want to see this solidarity, inspiration and determination,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

MinRegion wishes to consider the appointment of the first local elections on the territory of the newly formed amalgamated hromadas as soon as possible.

“This is expected by one and a half million people living in newly established hromadas. There is nothing more important to the authorities than to exercise the will of the people. Therefore, we sincerely hope that the Commission will find an opportunity to consider this issue as soon as possible and decide on this year’s election date,” added the First Deputy Minister.

As of 5 October, 133 amalgamated hromadas are ready for the first elections of local heads and deputies. These AHs include 569 hromadas of village, settlement, city councils. There are 60 hromadas waiting for the elections to join the 41 already established AHs. The total population of these hromadas is 1 million 519 thousand people.

It should be recalled that the Central Election Commission should decide on appointment of elections no later than 70 days prior to their holding.