On 7 October 2020, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) officially announced the deployment of an International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to Ukraine to observe the 25 October 2020 Local Elections and subsequent second rounds for the mayoral run-offs. This was ENEMO’s fourteenth mission to Ukraine. ENEMO has already gained considerable experience through observing elections in the country since 2004.

The mission was composed of nine Core Team members and 48 remote Long-Term observers (LTOs). Due to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, only three of the Core Team were based in Ukraine, the remainder worked and conducted meetings remotely, as did all of the 48 LTOs. The mission did not deploy short-term observers (STOs) and did not comprehensively observe the process at polling stations on Election Day, although virtual observers followed this aspect of the process remotely as well.

This final report is based on the findings of ENEMO observers and Core Team, interviews with stakeholders, and analysis of the legal framework and other documents. The report also includes recommendations to key-election stakeholders with the aim of addressing observed shortcomings and improving aspects of the electoral process in Ukraine.

Disclaimer: ENEMO’s international observation mission for the 2020 Local Elections in Ukraine is financially supported by USAID through the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The content of the document is the sole responsibility of ENEMO and does not necessarily represent the position of the donors.