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Ukrainian legislature’s factions sign statement against holding elections amid hostilities

It is reported that members of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party, which holds a majority in the legislature, had to conduct lengthy consultations, which ultimately made it possible to include a clause against holding the elections

MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Representatives of all factions in the Ukrainian legislature have signed a statement saying they oppose holding parliamentary and presidential elections in the country before the end of the hostilities, the Ukrainian news outlet Strana reported.

Strana published photos of pages from the statement, which it said was signed at a meeting of the so-called Jean Monnet Dialogue for Peace and Democracy in the village of Turia Paseka in the Zakarpatye Region that took place from November 10-12. The Jean Monnet Dialogue for Peace and Democracy is an instrument developed by the European Parliament for parliamentary mediation and consensus building.

Sergey Sobolev, a deputy chairman at the Fatherland faction, told Strana that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, with his recent statement that the Office of the President was considering the possibility of holding presidential elections in the spring, set off an election campaign.

"That carried a threat to our unity," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

He said that members of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party, which holds a majority in the legislature, had to conduct lengthy consultations, which ultimately made it possible to include a clause against holding the elections in the statement.

Another lawmaker told Strana that the statement makes it much harder for the legislature to call elections. The opponents of elections will now be able to say they have the backing of the European Parliament.

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