Survey: Over 60% of Ukrainians Back Elections Soon After Martial Law Ends

What happened

Ukrainska Pravda English reports that a survey by the SOCIS Centre for Social and Marketing Research found 61.7% of Ukrainians support holding elections immediately if a temporary suspension of hostilities is achieved and martial law is ended. The poll surveyed 2,000 respondents between 28 July and 2 August.

According to the survey, 25.7% of respondents believe elections should be postponed beyond the end of martial law, with smaller shares supporting only local elections (6%) or declining to answer (6.7%). The survey did not cover areas under active conflict or Russian occupation, including Crimea, parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv oblasts.

This survey complements findings from a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll conducted slightly earlier, which indicated that 38% of Ukrainians support elections before the war fully ends—divided between 15% favouring polls before hostilities cease and 23% supporting elections after a ceasefire but prior to a full peace agreement.

Known from the source

• The SOCIS survey was conducted from 28 July to 2 August with 2,000 respondents.
• 61.7% of surveyed Ukrainians favour elections immediately after martial law ends if hostilities are temporarily suspended.
• 25.7% said elections should be postponed beyond martial law lifting.
• 6% supported only local elections after martial law ends.
• 6.7% did not answer or were unsure.

What remains unclear

The data reflects a significant portion of the Ukrainian population willing to engage in electoral processes early in any potential ceasefire scenario, highlighting public interest in political normalisation despite ongoing conflict. This could influence Kyiv’s approach to negotiating and planning post-conflict governance arrangements.

What remains unclear: Confirm no additional newer surveys or official statements contradict or update SOCIS or KIIS findings. Check for any provisional government or electoral commission plans announced after 2 August regarding election timing. Validate correct attribution of survey sources and dates. Ensure terminology on martial law and hostilities aligns with current diplomatic or military reporting standards.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has treated the source material as confirmed within the supplied source context, while retaining attribution to the original publisher.

Original source: Ukrainska Pravda English. Open the source.