In the draft state budget for 2026, there are no expenditures allocated for the electoral process

In the draft state budget for 2026, there are no expenditures allocated for the electoral process

In the draft budget of Ukraine for the next year, no funds are allocated for elections.

However, this in itself does not mean anything definitive. If martial law is lifted and the pre-election campaign begins, the Central Election Commission will submit proposals to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the inclusion of election expenses in the budget.

A more important point is that the budget itself essentially has a pre-election character.

It includes a significant increase in social spending, salaries, and pensions, as well as substantial allocations for the telethon (1.5 billion hryvnias).

Specifically, spending on the social sector increases by 45 billion, on education (including a 50% salary increase for teachers) by 66 billion, on healthcare (with salary increases for medical workers) by 38 billion, and on pensions (including their indexation) — expenses will rise by 123 billion. In total, the increase in these areas significantly exceeds the increase in defense spending (the latter by 168 billion), which indirectly indicates the government’s priorities for the next year, even though the situation with the war remains unresolved.

And this is despite the fact that almost all the funds Ukraine can collect on its own will be directed toward military purposes. In other words, the increase in social spending is expected to be covered by external financing, which the government, according to the draft budget, anticipates at nearly 2.8 trillion hryvnias.

Meanwhile, the question remains open as to whether European leaders are ready to finance the acceleration of Ukraine’s social spending growth, while they themselves urge their populations to tighten their belts and prepare for a reduction in social standards alongside an increase in military spending and continued assistance to Kyiv.