International electoral standards at war time and post-war periods: security aspect and peculiarities of ensuring electoral rights

It is noted that democratic elections constitute the foundation of legitimate state governance and serve as a means of expressing the sovereign will of the people. They represent a key element in ensuring political stability and the accountability of authorities to society. At the same time, armed conflicts and their consequences pose complex and large-scale challenges to the proper conduct of the electoral process and the realization of citizens’ electoral rights. By their very nature, armed confrontations undermine the prerequisites for free, fair, and secure elections, often resulting in their postponement or substantial modifications to voting procedures. In such conditions of instability, international electoral standards acquire particular importance as instruments for upholding democratic norms and safeguarding citizens’ rights to participate in the political life of their country. This issue is especially relevant for Ukraine, which continues to experience an armed conflict while simultaneously striving toward a peaceful resolution. The article explores international standards of electoral law and their application during states of martial law and in post-war periods in foreign countries. It analyzes the practical experience of organizing elections in countries that faced the need to implement democratic procedures amid limited or full-scale military conflicts, as well as in the short time following such conflicts. The study examines the core principles of electoral law—universality, equality, free expression of will, and secret voting—and the challenges of implementing these principles under extraordinary circumstances. Particular attention is given to issues such as the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons and refugees, ensuring the security of the electoral process, and countering both internal and external threats, including various forms of interference in elections, in the context of responding appropriately to threats to national security. Special emphasis is placed on standards and practices for restoring fully functional democratic electoral processes in post-conflict societies, highlighting their importance as a key element of post-conflict stabilization and societal resilience. The article underscores the significance of adherence to international standards and the necessity for legislators to maintain sufficient flexibility to safeguard the legitimacy of elections, even under exceptional conditions.