Ukrainian presidential election’ 2014 Issue 5. May-2, 2014/Civic.UA Presidential elections without second round According to the data of OPORA, there will be no second round of presidential elections in Ukraine, the result is clear. The national turnout on the Election Day was 60 percent. Citizens of Ukraine have not been able to vote in 14 of the 22 electoral districts in Donetsk region, and in 10 of 12 electoral districts in Luhansk region because of intimidation, threats and pressure of terrorist groups.
no many types of violations inherent in previous elections - the use of administrative resources or bribery of voters, but new types appeared - unlawful conduct of the election campaign and obstructing the electoral process (in Lugansk and Donetsk regions ). The map of violations in the presidential election in 2014 is updated in real time
Candidates have failed to ensure the quality of the election commissioners. Observers of OPORA faced a situation of a large number of rotation until the last day before the election day, which greatly influenced the organization of elections, particularly in Kiev. Due to the As a result of OPORA's observation, all the candidates simultaneous holding of national and local elections, were on an equal conditions throughout the campaign, members eĐ° ection commissions were unable efficiently although the campaign was difficult, especially in the organize the issuance of voting ballots, voting process Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In addition, observers and verification of voter lists. recorded the facts of hindering the work of election commissions' members (pressure, intimidation, threats) According to tha Law, all citizens who went to the in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, in other areas such polling station before 20:00, have the right to cases have not been recorded. vote. According to the observations, in Kiev because of queues at some polling stations, voting continued until Presidential elections were held in conditions of 23:40, that is 4.5 hours after the polling stations temporary occupation of the Crimea and the military closed. In Kiev, people stayed in 6% of polling stations confrontation in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which is after 20:00. a testament of obstruct the implementation of free suffrage. This context reduced turnout in these regions, All these problems were caused by the following: an but did not affect the outcome of the election, said Olga outdated principle of formation of election commissions, Aivazovska, coordinator of election and parliamentary anaction to manipulative participation of certain programs of OPORA. technical candidates in the election campaign and the simultaneous holding of national and local elections Ukrainian Parliament in time amended to the Law "On said Olga Aivazovska. Elections of the President of Ukraine" according to new challenges for security on the eve of the election In addition, Information System "Elections" was campaign and during its realization. subjected to cyber attacks on the eve of the election, that caused the failure in its work. Activities of terrorist groups in the eastern regions of Ukraine clearly was a form of pressure, intimidation and IT technologies used by the authorities are not threats, as on the organizers of the elections as well as sufficiently protected against such attacks. "If we can on the voters, including citizens of Ukraine who failed to not protect information system "Elections", vote in 14 of the 22 electoral districts in Donetsk region, unfortunately, electronic voting can not be realized for and in 10 of the 12 electoral districts in Luhansk region. us. Accordingly, the Central Electoral Commission, despite the experience of this situation should take all 213 election commissions were formed in measures to make the security for elections and for Ukraine. 24 could not be opened because of the threat materials document, database, system safe from any to life and health of citizens. In Donetsk and Lugansk attacks ... Fortunately, our organization has such regions local police took a traitorous position (inactivity, experience. If CEC needs such information, we are incitement or assistance to terrorist groups) to fail the happy to provide this information, because we elections. experienced system attacks in 2012, and thanks to international high level experts we know what are the According to Olga Aivazovska, violations recorded problems in the operation of such systems" - Olga during the campaign and election day were significantly Aivazovska. different from violations in 2010 and 2012. There were
More information on the Civic Space post
Reforms for new president Activists of initiative "Reanimation Package of Reforms" (RPR) Svitlana Zalishchuk, Hanna Hopko, Oleg Matsekh and Olga Halabala promulgated proposals of civil society concerning cooperation with new president of Ukraine.
- Promote the implementation of an independent public service broadcaster.
The activists appealed to the President with a proposal to become a partner with civil society and carry out reforms in Ukraine together.
In the courts, the police and the prosecutor's office must be established public control through participation of activists in the authorities that appoint (dismiss) managers, this implies draft laws, designed by RPR.
Among the priorities of the new president, activists consider the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU in full volume June 27, 2014, the establishment of open government and civil society control over all branches of government, including that President must demonstrate openness and readiness for control by the civil society.
For this the future president, who, according to preliminary data of the Central Election Commission becomes Petro Poroshenko has to sell his business, including Media business - "5 kanal". All the President's appointment should take place under the supervision of the public. Activists of "RPR" offer new president to support draft laws and other initiatives to ensure transparency and accountability of all branches of government, as well as support the continued socio- economic development of Ukraine in the following areas: - The electoral law: election by open lists, financial transparency of political parties and candidates - Freedom of expression - Media Reform - Appointment of 4 persons by the president to the National Council on Television and Radio must be held with the participation of the public and according to the criteria, nominated by 13 media organizations, - Promote the adoption of the law on transparency of media ownership, - Promote the adoption of the law on privatization of media,
Reform of prosecutors
the
judiciary,
police
and
The president has to give up his powers (as well as Parliament of Ukraine) in the formation of judges and any judicial institutions (Supreme Judicial Council), in particular by supporting constitutional amendments.
Start the process of police reform with new legislation on police, the draft of which, prepared by experts from civil society, is already on the elaboration of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. To assist the speedy adoption in the second review of the draft law on the Prosecutor with regard to amendments of civil society experts. Fight against corruption The President has to sign a decree on basic principles (strategy) of the state anti-corruption policy in Ukraine (with amendments made by experts of "Reanimation Package of Reforms"). Take part in passing laws, developed by by experts of "Reanimation Package of Reforms": About the National Bureau of Anti-Corruption Investigations (creation of specialized investigative authority to investigate corruption of senior officials with guarantee the independence and competitive election of leader).
New Draft Law "On Principles of Prevention and Combating Corruption" (with the introduction of mechanisms to verify the impartiality and monitoring of employees lifesty, the establishment of the National Commission for the Prevention of Corruption). On fixation and disclosure of beneficial owners of legal entities. On open registry of property and land registry (with access to information about property owners). Economic reforms Tax reform, simplifying of the administration and number of taxes to simplify accounting and to reduce corruption. Changing the system of relations between taxpayers and fiscal authorities - control is aimed not at sanctions, but on the counseling and assistance to entrepreneurs. Business deregulation, the introduction of application principle instead of registration permits. Adapting to European standards in the field of competition law, customs regulations, technical regulations, food safety.
Decentralization Ensuring decentralization. Ensuring equal dialogue between local governments and public authorities Constitutional Reform Promoting open process of constitutional reform For working out the draft law on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine - crate Constitutional Commission, the majority of its members must be independent scientific experts. Activities of the Constitutional Commission should be based on the principles of collegiality, transparency, openness and publicity, independence in decision-making, and on the basis of professionalism and scientific. Promoting early parliamentary elections under the proportional system of preferences (with open lists). Appeal to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the unconstitutionality of the law "On national referendum" in general and the introduction of a new draft law in Parliament, the procedures of which comply with European standards. Translated by Civic Space Portal
Presidential Election in Ukraine: Summary of observation conducted by OPORA 25 May, Election of the President of Ukraine was conducted fairly and in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and international standards. Parliament and the CEC have duly secured the organization of electoral process and conduction of voting on the election day. The voting was held on the whole Ukrainian territory (not including temporarily occupied territories of the AR Crimea and Sevastopol). However, the process was complicated due to unlawful activities of terroristic groups and armed people, who disrupted the election process in 14 of 22 districts of Donetsk oblast, and 10 of 12 districts of Luhansk oblast. In general, besides these 2 oblasts, the voting was easy, without considerable incidents and mass violations, and the violations that took place haven't influenced the election results. The efficiency of law-enforcement system and IT safety of the Vybory Information System are topical issues today. According to the preliminary results of the parallel vote tabulation conducted by the OPORA, Petro Poroshenko has won with 53.4 % of votes. Yuliia Tymoshenko is on the second place with 13.2 % of votes. On 25 May, more than 34 million Ukrainians above 18 years old could participate in special election of the President of Ukraine. It should be mentioned, that Presidential elections were held in extremely complicated conditions, while some territory of Ukraine is temporarily occupied (territory of the AR Crimea and Sevastopol), and terroristic groups and armed persons disrupted elections in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Such activities of state's enemies hindered realization of voting rights of citizens. Despite such context has decreased the national turnout, it's total level was quite representative – around 60%. Activities of terroristic groups were aimed to create a system of intimidation, threats, and pressure upon the voters and commission members, in order to prevent their participation in the elections. The disruption of voting in 14 of 22 districts of Donetsk oblast and 10 f 12 districts of Luhansk oblast is the direct result of such criminal activities of these persons. There were 213 district election commissions created, 24 of which didn't manage to fulfill their duties on the election day because lives and health of Ukrainian citizens were under threat. However, besides these 2 oblasts, the voting was easy, without considerable incidents and mass violations, and the violations that took place haven't influenced the election results. According to OPORA's data, average voter turnout as of 8:00 PM on 2014 Special Presidential Election in Ukraine was 60% (2.6 % margin of error is taken into consideration), what is 7.21% less than on 2010 Presidential Election (67.21 % in the first round), and 14.92 % less than on Election of the President of Ukraine in 2004. Voters in western oblasts of Ukraine were the most active (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Volyn, and Chernivtsi oblasts) – 70%; and in central Ukraine (Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad oblasts and Kyiv city) – 63%. The turnout in South regions (Odesa,
Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts) was traditionally lower - 48%. Simultaneously, the turnout in East regions (Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Luhansk oblasts) wasalso 48 %. During the Election Day, OPORA watched whether precinct election commissions adhere to the main election procedures. According to gathered data, election commissions have violated the certain regulations of the Law. However,these incidents were not widespread, and couldn't have influenced the election results. In particular, 168 procedural violations were reported during the election day, 36 incidents of hindering the election process, 32 instances of unlawful voting, 20 violations of campaigning, and 19 violations of the voting secrecy. The most common violations in all three time periods (8am-12pm; 12pm-4pm; 4pm-8pm) were attempts to issue ballot papers without verification of voter's documents: 7.5 %, 6 %, and 4 % of polling stations respectively. The next popular violations were attempts to vote with no legal grounds: 7 %, 4 %, and 5.5 % of polling stations respectively. The other violations were also typical, but not so numerous: violation of the voting secrecy (4%, 3%, and 2% of polling stations respectively to the time periods); and presence of unauthorized persons in polling stations (4%, 3%, and 3% of polling stations respectively). Besides that, OPORA detected incidents when voters were trying to take ballots out of polls (3%, 2% and 0.5% of polling stations respectively to every time period). Simultaneous conduction of presidential, mayoral, and local council elections with small number of commission members at precincts became the reason of long queues at polling stations. Thus, in 6% of polling stations, OPORA noticed thevoters waiting in queues as of 20pm, May 25. According to the legislation, the PEC is obliged to allow all the voters, who are inside of the polling station, to vote even after the voting officially ends. According to the observers, a lot of polling stations were securing this right till 12am. May 25 The longest queues were in Kyiv and Luhansk cities. In 2% of polling stations, OPORA reported violations of the vote count. Simultaneously, at almost 9% of polling stations, observers couldn't see the marks on ballots during the vote count. In general, according to the observation results, OPORA's observers reported nonconfidence in the vote count results only at 1%of polls.
Freedom House Commends Ukraine on Election, Raises Concerns over Targeting of Journalists
Washington May 27, 2014 Following Sunday's successful presidential election in Ukraine and in response to growing violence and repression targeting journalists there, including the recent kidnappings of Vyacheslav Bondarenko and Maksym Osovskiy in the Luhansk region and Milana Omelchuk in the Donetsk region, Freedom House issued the following statement: "Freedom House joins those congratulating the people of Ukraine on successfully and bravely conducting a nationwide election Sunday that has produced a legitimately elected new president," said David Kramer, president of Freedom House. "At the same time as the world celebrates Ukraine's historic democratic elections, we note the ongoing and alarming increase in kidnappings, disappearances, and other forms of violence against journalists. With violence and disorder in
Ukraine's east ongoing, authorities need to redouble efforts to ensure journalists' safety, as neither the government nor separatist forces are facilitating or protecting their vital work. The 42 kidnappings or enforced disappearances that we have identified since March – mostly at the hands of violent separatist factions – are a dark stain on Ukraine's tremendous progress over the past few months. They underscore the need for renewed efforts to protect journalists and investigate violations against them. Vyacheslav, Maksym, and Milana should be released immediately, their kidnappings and those of other journalists investigated without delay, and the perpetrators brought to justice."
Ukraine is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2014, Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2014, and Free in Freedom on the Net 2013.
On May 25, 2014, the day of elections of the President of Ukraine, the National Exit Poll-2014 Consortium, which is made up of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF), the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) and the Oleksandr Razumkov Economic and Political Studies Center (Razumkov Centre), has conducted the National Exit Poll-2014. DIF is responsible for financial and media management of the exit poll. KIIS is responsible for scientific management of the project, development of the sample, and coordination of the polling. The polling of voters at the exits of polling stations has been conducted by the KIIS and Razumkov Center. Constituents who voted at polling districts (except for special polling districts) make up total population of exit poll. Theoretically, the sample is representative for the whole Ukraine, for all the voting stations, where elections were conducted. Because of complication of our work in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, we are not fully confident in representativeness of the data from this regions. That is why we provide results both on Ukraine in general and on Ukraine without results from Donetsk and Lugansk regions. 17 516 of respondents were polled at 351 polling stations. The methodology of “secret ballot” was used. Statistical sample error doesn’t exceed 3.5% for the leaders (in terms of received votes) and is within the limits of 0.5-1% for other candidates. Chief supervisor – Iryna Bekeshkina. Scientific supervisor – Natalia Harchenko. Manager of the work of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology – Anton Hrushetskyi. Manager of the work of Razumkov Centre – Andriy Bychenko, Mykhaylo Mishchenko. Consultant – Volodymyr Paniotto. International observers over exit poll and foreign consultants – Kateryna Kozerenko (expert-consultant, Levada Centre, Russia), Sam Kliger (PhD in sociology, director of the Research Institute for New Americans). The National exit poll was conducted with financial support of international donors: International Renaissance Foundation, Matra program of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Ukraine, the National Endowment for Democracy (USA), UNITER (Ukraine National Initiatives to Enhance Reforms) project “PACT”, and the European Union.
Presidential elections in Ukraine mark milestone for further de-escalation, says Swiss Chairperson-in-Office OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, rates the early presidential elections in Ukraine of May 25 as an important milestone in the process of de-escalation of the crisis. He thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to Ukraine and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for their invaluable work. Commending Ukraine for holding elections with a high turnout, largely in line with international commitments and respectful of fundamental freedoms, despite difficult circumstances and violence and threats in two eastern regions, Burkhalter called on all sides to contribute to a further normalization of the situation in the country. Recalling the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Missions to assist Ukraine in implementing various measures for reducing tensions, he said that the OSCE is looking forward to working closely with President-elect Petro Poroshenko and his government and promised the Chairmanship’s full support in peacefully resolving the crisis. Burkhalter congratulated Poroshenko on his success and proposed a meeting between the two leaders. He welcomed Poroshenko’s announcement to arrange for early visits in the regions and to look out for cooperative solutions with all sides involved to continue on the path towards stabilization. “It is vital that all sides engage in dialogue, both within and beyond Ukraine,” Burkhalter concluded, adding that the Chairmanship is ready to assist any such efforts if requested by the parties.
Latest news from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Clashes in Donetsk between the Ukrainian army and armed separatists continued. Eleven monitors of the SMM were abducted for 7 hours, four others, abducted on 26 May, are still missing. The situation also remained tense in Luhansk, whereas other parts of the country were calm. In Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, minor members of the Right Sector were held for several hours by armed individuals.
The
SMM
visited
different
locations
in Kharkiv region: Krasnohrad (106 kilometres southeast of Kharkiv), Izyum (123 kilometres southeast of Kharkiv), Velykyi Burluk (107 kilometres east of Kharkiv) and Krasnokutsk (94 kilometres west of Kharkiv). The situation in the region remained calm. The Head of Izyum District administration informed the SMM that the presence of the Ukrainian army, based in the vicinity, was initially not welcomed by the local population but since then, people have started to perceive the Ukrainian soldiers as ‘trusted protectors’. The SMM team in Luhansk received information that fighting between the Ukrainian army and the separatists had resumed in the Rubizhne area (about 105 kilometres northwest of Luhansk). The number of casualties and wounded is not known. On 28 May, at 12:10, 11 SMM monitors, on the way from Donetsk to Dnipropetrovsk, were stopped at a checkpoint at the entrance to Maryinka town (35 kilometres west of Donetsk) by approximately 12 armed people. The monitors were forced to leave the vehicles and give up their mobile phones. The monitors were taken to the occupied TV station in Donetsk. After arriving there, they were provided with food and asked to provide information on OSCE activity. At 18:45 a commander of the armed group pointed out the high number of losses in recent operations and said that the OSCE was the only organization competent to provide the public with a clear picture of the ongoing events. He added that he did not wish the OSCE to leave the area. At about 19:30 the monitors were set free.
Ukrainians turnout in high numbers to elect president, stand for national unity in face of aggression Ukrainians in large numbers went to the polls on May 25 to elect a new president and move their country past the corrupt and unpopular regime of Viktor Yanukovych. Despite foreign-inspired violence in the east and attempts in a few places to prevent the election from taking place, Ukraine has chosen a path of democracy and elected their new president in the first round.
election was free, fair and democratic. They also represented the true Ukraine, with many speaking both Ukrainian and Russian. Even in the east, where militants attempted to suppress the election, poll workers did attempt to carry out the process, but in many cases were stopped.
Yesterday’s election presented a contrast in images. On the one hand, we saw Russia-backed militants smashing ballot boxes, attacking polling stations and terrorizing citizens. This is in comparison with the long lines of voters who waited patiently in the heat and even “I was inspired to see the Ukrainian people turn out to through a hailstorm, to cast their ballots and choose vote in large numbers and stand against Russia’s their leader. Both the Russia-backed militants and the aggression towards their country,” said Senator Kelly Ukrainian people have spoken, and clearly, democracy Ayotte, the leader of the IRI's delegation. “Ukraine was has triumphed. not just choosing a president, they were standing up for IRI’s delegation praises the CEC for its administration of the sovereignty of their country.” the election and its dedication to carrying out an open and transparent process. Days before voting, there was With the exception of areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, an outside attempt to hack into the CEC vote tabulation where foreign-supported militants suppressed voting, system. Fortunately, authorities prevented this attack and in Crimea, where Russian authorities denied people from compromising the system and were able to the opportunity to vote, turnout was high throughout provide accurate results. the country, including in the south and The delegation encourages the CEC to continue to east. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has improve the election process. Ukraine still faces issues preliminarily reported that turnout was more than 60 of access to polling stations for those with disabilities percent, which is and the significant in the elderly. While face of Russia’s the mobile ballot aggression and box is helpful, even higher than Ukraine needs to turnout in 2010. find long-term A vast majority solutions to this of Ukrainians problem. Additio were able to cast nal poll workers ballots. In areas at polling of the country stations would where nearly 87 also help percent of the improve the population lives, process and polls were open would help to and voting went alleviate the smoothly. In long-lines of areas where voters waiting to voting was cast their denied or ballots. suppressed – With the election Crimea, Donetsk now over, it is and Luhansk – it time for all of was due to Ukraine to unite either Russian and for its new occupation or leader to interference. undertake the IRI observers reforms voters visited more have than 100 polling demanded. This stations in will require the Cherkasy, commitment of Chernihiv, all of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, political parties and civil society, including the new Ternopil and Vinnitsya. IRI observers reported only activists who have risen from the Maidan. To take the minor irregularities and none that would impact the necessary steps to create a country that is prosperous, outcome of the election. At every polling station IRI at peace and democratic, all of Ukraine must work visited there were observers representing the together. This process has already begun and IRI’s candidates, political parties and the Maidan. These delegation praises Yulia Timoshenko and others, who observers, of which IRI trained more than 5,000, helped have recognized the results and encourages them to ensure the transparency and legitimacy of the electoral work with the new government to implement the process. democratic reforms the people have desired. IRI observers also reported that the election was wellSince 1983, IRI has monitored more than 155 elections administered and polling officials should be commended in more than 47 countries, including Ukraine’s 1994, for the role they played in the process. Officials were 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2012 parliamentary knowledgeable and approached their job seriously, elections and the 1999, 2004 and 2010 presidential working long hours, without breaks to ensure that the elections. More information
Despite violence and threats in east, Ukraine election characterized by high turnout and resolve to guarantee fundamental freedoms, international observers say - Strasbourg, 26.05.2014 The 25 May early presidential election in Ukraine was characterised by high turnout and a clear resolve by the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and that respected fundamental freedoms, despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions of the country, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the election administration ran the process impartially and transparently on the whole, some decisions taken may have been beyond its authority. “This election proved the democratic spirit of the people of Ukraine, who had the opportunity to genuinely express their will at the ballot box, and seized it in high numbers,” said Joao Soares, the Special Coordinator who led the short-term OSCE observer mission. “The electoral and security authorities of Ukraine should be commended for their efforts – under extraordinary circumstances – to facilitate an election that largely upheld democratic commitments.” Genuine efforts were made by the electoral authorities to conduct voting throughout the country, despite continued unrest and violence in the east, which seriously impacted the election environment, negatively affected the human rights situation, obstructed meaningful observation, and had a significant adverse affect on preparations. Forced evictions and closures of District Election Commissions by armed groups, abductions, death threats, forced entry into private homes and the seizure of equipment and election materials were attempts to prevent the election and to deny citizens their right to vote, the observers said. “The extraordinary quality of yesterday’s election provides the new president of Ukraine with the legitimacy to establish immediately an inclusive dialogue with all citizens in the eastern regions, to restore their trust and confidence, and to decentralize state power in order to preserve the unity of the country by respecting the diversity of Ukrainian society,” said Andreas Gross, Head of the PACE delegation. “There is no military solution to today’s crisis, and those who belong together can only come together through dialogue, mutual understanding, social reforms and greater fairness.” The election did not take place in the Crimean Peninsula, which is not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, and Ukrainian citizens living there faced serious difficulties in participating in the election. “Unfortunately, many citizens were prevented from voting in Donetsk and Luhansk, as were nearly all in Crimea, due to the ongoing threats to Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” said Ilkka Kanerva, Head of the OSCE PA delegation. “However, the impressive turnout in the rest of the country offered a powerful rebuke to those who would challenge Ukraine’s unity and progress.”
Despite the challenging environment and limited leadtime, the Central Election Commission operated independently, impartially and efficiently, in general, and met all legal deadlines. A lack of adequate regulation of a few aspects of the election, however, lessened uniformity in the administration of the process. The substitution of numerous candidate nominees to District and Precinct Election Commissions affected the stability and efficiency of election administration, but most commissions outside the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were able to overcome time constraints, the frequent changes in their composition and some resource problems.
“Before Sunday, everyone agreed that this was going to be an important, if difficult election, but few believed it would be successful. Our assessment is clear: the Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainian people have made this election a success,” said Karl Lamers, Head of the NATO PA delegation. “Despite an exceptionally challenging environment, we have seen a good election process and election officials performing their duties with dedication and professionalism, sometimes in extremely difficult conditions. And we have seen the Ukrainian people expressing confidence in their country’s future by voting in large numbers, wherever they were able to do so.” “This election has laid a solid foundation for the future of Ukraine, and the pressing tasks of economic consolidation, political reforms and uniting the country,” said Goran Farm, Head of the EP delegation. Most candidates were able to campaign without restrictions, except in the two eastern regions, although there were a number of campaign-related incidents, including cases of intimidation and attacks on party and campaign offices, and allegations of instances where campaigning by candidates was obstructed. In a positive development, no cases were observed of the misuse of state resources and, unlike in previous elections, allegations of such practices were not made to observers. Despite recent amendments to campaign finance regulations, these should be further strengthened to provide greater oversight and transparency, the statement says. The media landscape is diverse, but the lack of media autonomy from political or corporate interests often affects their editorial independence. Freedom of the media was severely undermined in the east, where journalists and media outlets faced threats and harassment throughout the campaign period. Editorial coverage of candidates was limited and focused on a few candidates. The organisation and broadcasting of debates among all candidates by state television and the adoption of a law transforming state television into a public-service broadcaster were both welcome initiatives. More information
Ukrainian World Congress International Election Observation Mission releases Preliminary Observations confirming democratic Presidential Election On 26 May 2014 the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) International Election Observation Mission released its Preliminary Observations during a press conference held at the UNIAN Information Agency in Kyiv. Although observers noted isolated infractions, the shortcomings did not impact the election results. Most voters were able to express their will on election day, despite the complicated situation in Eastern and Southern Ukraine. Official government statistics and the statistics of independent non-governmental organizations confirm a voter turnout surpassing 60%. During the electoral process no significant infractions were observed that could materially impact the results of the vote, particularly the misuse of administrative resources, the bribing of voters, mass dumping of ballots and multiple voting, which were common during the parliamentary elections of 2012 and 2013. UWC observers recorded a range of infractions in various regions of Ukraine, the most common being: campaigning at the polling stations and outside them; delays in opening the polling stations; missing names of voters on Precinct Election Commission (PEC) voters’ lists; confusion in the work of Precinct Election Commissions; inappropriately sealed ballot boxes; distribution of ballots without the appropriate documentation; obstacles to the work of observers and mass media. In addition, two UWC observers, from Canada and Moldova, were blocked at polling station №480752 in the city of Mykolayiv, and together with the PEC members and the candidates’ observers, they held back a group of individuals with athletic appearances who were trying to storm the premises. In total, the UWC Mission monitored the vote in over 1700 electoral districts in 39 Ukrainian cities. The UWC Mission highlights that in cities where mayoralty races were being run concurrently with the Presidential Election, including the cities of Kyiv, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Odesa, Cherkasy and Sumy, the voting process was considerably slower and long lines were experienced resulting in extended hours in some polling stations. Higher incidents of infractions were observed in cities where mayors and municipal representatives were being elected as opposed to cities in which there was only a presidential vote, however, these infractions had no material impact on the results of the vote. The UWC Mission is the third largest international election observation mission to the 2014 early Presidential Election. The Mission includes 236 observers from 22 countries who are monitoring the vote in Ukraine and at diplomatic missions in the diaspora. The UWC Mission is headed by United States Federal Judge Bohdan Futey and the Chief Observer is UWC Third Vice President Peter Sztyk.
UWC observers will remain in the electoral districts until such time that they close and all votes are counted. The UWC Mission, which numbered 236 observers from 22 countries, will publish a comprehensive final report, offering recommendations for potential improvements after completion of the process. The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) applauds the people of Ukraine for demonstrating a strong commitment to democracy by participating in large numbers in the 25 May 2014 Presidential and Municipal Elections in Ukraine. Despite the complicated situation in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, the UWC International Election Observation Mission to the Presidential Election in Ukraine (UWC Mission), along with other observation missions including the OSCE, noted that most voters were able to express their will on election day and that the elections were conducted honestly and in accordance with internationally accepted democratic standards. The UWC Mission noted that Ukraine’s governing authorities worked tirelessly to ensure that these elections were conducted openly, honestly and transparently. The UWC commends the Government of Ukraine for its commitment to furthering democracy and enhancing the rule of law in Ukraine. The UWC further condemns the actions of Russiabacked armed groups that prevented a more significant turnout of voters in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where citizens continue to be harrassed, intimidated and threatened for aspiring to live freely and with dignity. Finally, the UWC expresses gratitude to the members of the UWC Mission who selflessly dedicated their time, resources and expertise to help the Ukrainian people enjoy one of the great privileges of living in a democracy – the right to vote. “25 May 2014 was a historic day for the people of Ukraine who, despite various methods of intimidation from Russia, demonstrated great courage and an unwavering resolve to live in a free, democratic and united country,” commented UWC President Eugene Czolij. “The Ukrainian diaspora is proud to have contributed to this extraordinary day with our international election observation missions”. Eugene Czolij assured Ukraine’s President-elect of the support of the Ukrainian diaspora led by the UWC as he works toprotect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, while furthering the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for democratic and European values. “The Ukrainian World Congress will work with President-elect Petro Poroshenko and his new administration to maintain strong ties between Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora with the mutual goal of Ukraine assuming its rightful place in the EuropeanUnion,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
Contact information
Civic Space Center www.civicua.org euprostir.org.ua https://www.facebook.com/CivicUA On Portal "Civic Space" created a special section of the coverage of the presidential elections in 2014
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