Military administrations, suspended elections, and limited local self-government are the reality in which hundreds of communities in Ukraine are functioning today. How to maintain trust in the decisions of the authorities, to ensure the inclusion of residents, and to preserve the voice of communities in such conditions?
These issues were discussed during a public discussion titled “Between war and recovery: how communities can preserve and strengthen their self-government,” and organized by the National Platform for Sustainability and Cohesion.
Maksym Latsyba, head of civil society development at the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research, noted that restrictions on the electoral process should not lead to exclusion from decision-making.
“If elections are impossible now, participatory democracy should be developed as much as possible. Public hearings, working groups, and public consultations are mechanisms that can partially compensate for the lack of electoral legitimacy. This is how we will maintain trust in the decisions of the authorities and the involvement of people in community life,” the expert added.
He also noted two key steps taken by parliament last year: the adoption of the laws “On Public Consultations” and “On Transparency of Local Self-Government Bodies,” as well as a third law, “On People's Power at the Local Self-Government Level.” These laws create a legislative framework for effective public participation, even under difficult conditions.
Maksym Lukinyuk, an expert on the development of public participation mechanisms, reminded that military administrations must act within the framework of the Law “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” and are therefore are obliged to adhere to the principles of openness and publicity.
“No provision of current legislation prohibits military administrations from using public participation tools. On the contrary, they should be involved by both the administrations and the residents themselves. This is possible and necessary even during wartime,” said Maksym Lukinyuk.
Representatives of communities, government agencies, experts, and civil society organizations also discussed the risks of prolonged restrictions on the powers of local self-government bodies, mechanisms for maintaining dialogue between the authorities and residents, and other issues.
In turn, experts from the National Platform presented an analytical report titled “Democratic institutions for communities with limited self-government capabilities” and a memorandum on the development of deliberative democracy in wartime.
The report is available here.