Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andrei Paruby has signed a decree to hold a regular presidential election in the country, thus finally setting it for March 31, 2019.

Verkhovna Rada members adopted the corresponding decree by 298 votes on Monday.

"The decree has been signed," according to a page on the parliament’s web site containing the corresponding law.

Under Ukrainian law, decrees do not require Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko’s approval to come into effect.

On November 27, 2018, the Ukrainian parliament also approved President Pyotr Poroshenko’s order to declare martial law in the country for 30 days. Initially the head of state initiated its introduction for 60 days, which made the presidential election in March doubtful and drew a sharply negative reaction in the country.

The martial law is to be introduced in the Vinnitsa, Lugansk, Nikolayev, Odessa, Sumy, Kharkov, Chernigov, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions and the Ukrainian territorial waters in the Azov-Kerch water area.