From September 25 to 27, 2024, a Ukrainian delegation, including representatives from the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, took part in a three-days visit to Lisbon, Portugal, organised and conducted with the support of the Council of Europe*.
The visit aimed to prepare for Ukraine's first post-war elections, specifically addressing the electoral rights of Ukrainians living abroad, as around 70,000 Ukrainian voters are currently residing in Portugal due to war-related displacement and migration processes. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange on additional election-related matters that could be beneficial for Ukrainian authorities in the context of preparations to post-war elections.
During the visit, the delegation met with Portuguese officials involved in administering and organising elections from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Electoral Commission, and the Constitutional Court. Discussions focused on the unique aspects of conducting elections in Portugal, voting process for Portuguese citizens living abroad, and potential collaborations to facilitate the electoral process for Ukrainians in the Portuguese Republic.
Later, the Ukrainian delegation held exchanges with the National Network of Internal Security – Communications Centre and the National Centre for Cybersecurity to address communication and cyber security issues during the electoral process and explore strategies for mitigating risks and preventing cyber incidents. Additionally, they met with representatives from the municipality of Lisbon to learn about the practical aspects of election organisation in Portugal, including early voting procedures and postal voting.
The visit concluded with a meeting with the Ukrainian diaspora in Portugal, organised in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine to the Portuguese Republic, to address their concerns and needs for the post-war elections.
*The onsite visit was organised within the framework and with the support of the Council of Europe project “Supporting democratic post-war elections in Ukraine”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023 – 2026.
