Parliamentarism in times of war: An open discussion with Dr Sarah Whitmore

How can parliament remain effective, democratic processes be sustained, and state institutions maintain their resilience during wartime? These questions were at the heart of a meeting between students of the Faculty of Law at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) and Dr Sarah Whitmore, Associate Professor in Politics at Oxford Brookes University.

Dr Whitmore has spent many years researching Ukrainian politics, parliamentarism, state-building, and the functioning of political institutions during wartime. The discussion explored Ukraine’s democratic resilience, the role of parliament in ensuring continuity of governance, and the importance of parliamentarism in the development of a democratic state.

Particular attention was paid to the impact of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine on political institutions, parliamentary oversight, and decision-making processes. The meeting took the form of an open discussion, allowing students to raise questions about the current challenges facing Ukrainian parliamentarism, the future development of democratic institutions, and the complexities of their functioning under martial law.

The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for an informed exchange on the challenges facing Ukraine’s democratic institutions and for examining these developments from the perspective of international academic research.