The Mykolaiv City Council will ask the Verkhovna Rada to support changes to the rules governing the work of local councils during martial law

The Mykolaiv City Council will appeal to Members of Parliament to support the bill on the functioning of local councils during martial law. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv City Council intends to appeal to the Verkhovna Rada and MPs elected from the Mykolaiv region. They will be asked to support the draft law «On Ensuring the Authority of Local Councils under Martial Law». In particular, the draft decision highlights that changes to the legislation are required, as some councillors’ terms of office have expired and new elections are prohibited during martial law. Consequently, there is a risk of losing the quorum required to pass resolutions.

This is set out in a draft resolution by the Mykolaiv City Council, according to NikVesti.

The draft notes that, in accordance with current legislation, the quorum and the council’s decisions are determined on the basis of the council’s total membership. Consequently, if councillors cease to hold office, this may affect the council’s work and its ability to make decisions.

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«A council that has lost its quorum cannot approve the local budget, allocate funds for reconstruction, ensure the operation of municipal services, or make other decisions on which the community’s livelihood depends,» the appeal to MPs states.

In March 2026, the relevant parliamentary committee considered the draft bill and issued its opinion, but it has not yet been tabled before the Verkhovna Rada.

The explanatory note to Bill №14405 states that 43,122 councillors were elected during the 2020 local elections: 17,270 (40 per cent) were elected under the first-past-the-post system.

As of 23 November 2025, the terms of office of 9,106 local councillors had been terminated early: 21.1 per cent of the total number of seats. As elections are prohibited during martial law, there is a risk in communities with up to 10,000 voters that the composition of local councils will be reduced and that there will be no quorum for committees and sessions.

The draft bill therefore proposes improvements to the legislation governing the operation of local councils during martial law.

• A session may be convened by no fewer than one-third of the councillors.
• The quorum and the council’s decision-making process are determined on the basis of the council’s actual composition.
• If the number of councillors falls below half due to the termination of councillors’ mandates, it is proposed that military administrations be established for the settlement.
• Deputies who have been mobilised are exempt from compulsory attendance at meetings.

The «All-Ukrainian Association of Communities» has supported this draft law and called on local councillors to join forces to ensure its adoption.

The Mykolaiv City Council intends to appeal to the Verkhovna Rada and MPs Davyd Arakhamiia, Oleksandr Pasichnyi, Oleksandr Haidu, Maksym Dyrdin, Ihor Kopytin, Ihor Nehulevskyi and Artem Chornomorov — who were elected from the Mykolaiv region — to support the bill.

Draft appeal to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the work of local councils. Screenshot from the city council’s website

Draft appeal to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the work of local councils. Screenshot from the city council’s website

As a reminder, on 6 August, Mykolaiv City Council appealed to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers. The city is requesting an additional grant of 1.18 billion hryvnias from Ukraine’s state budget for 2026, as the local budget is running a deficit, particularly regarding the payment of salaries, meals in nurseries, and compensation for travel costs for those entitled to concessions.