The petition to limit mayors' terms of office did not receive the necessary support

A petition to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine proposing to limit mayors’ terms of office to two consecutive terms failed to gather the required number of votes. As a result, the petition will not be forwarded to the government for official consideration.

"In fact, there is no rotation of power at the local level in Ukraine. Current Ukrainian legislation does not limit the number of terms a mayor can serve. This allows a single person to hold power in a city for decades, which contradicts the principles of democratic governance and accountability to the community,” the petition stated.

The author of the petition believes that a mayor’s prolonged tenure without legislative limits creates conditions for the formation of personal patronage networks, makes local businesspeople and officials dependent on a single individual, and reduces the effectiveness of public oversight. 

In his view, term limits would help attract new leaders to local self-government, increase the competitiveness of elections, and reduce political monopolies in certain cities. 

In light of the above, he requested the drafting of a bill to amend the Law “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” and the Electoral Code of Ukraine to introduce a limit on the number of terms a mayor may serve—no more than two consecutive terms. 

According to the platform on the government’s website, the petition was submitted on April 9, and as of July 10, it had garnered only 6,700 votes out of the 25,000 required.

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