Prolongation of Parliament Acts
UK wartime acts that postponed the general election due by 1940.
The Prolongation of Parliament Acts were five UK acts, passed yearly from 1940 to 1944, that kept the Parliament elected in 1935 sitting until the 5 July 1945 election. Ukrainian law bars elections under martial law.
Last refreshed: 12 October 2026
Timeline for Prolongation of Parliament Acts
Mentioned in: Zelenskyy ties elections to a ceasefire
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Background
The Prolongation of Parliament Acts were five UK acts, passed each year from 1940 to 1944, that extended the life of the Parliament elected in 1935. Each added a year, the last running to November 1945.
Britain did not vote again until 5 July 1945, two months after victory in Europe. The acts are the standard example of a democracy choosing to suspend elections in wartime by law rather than hold them under fire.
Ukraine faces the same choice. Ukrainian law reaches the same result differently, forbidding any vote under martial law. On 11 October 2026, a day after Donald Trump called for a new Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered elections once a 60-day total ceasefire held. The British acts show the postponement route; America's 1864 election shows the other.