OSCE is disappointed with the process of counting the votes on the Ukrainian parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections in Ukraine

The representatives of the OSCE and its observers are disappointed with the process of the counting of the votes on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine. At the same time, they also said that generally the day of elections was smooth and peaceful.

The process of the vaunting the votes and the results of the elections was estimated negative due to lack of fairness and transparence of it, declared the head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation Mrs. Walburga Habsburg Douglas.

The day of the elections was estimated generally positive, but the process of the counting the votes and the results’ obtaining cause the deep concerns, as it was not enough transparent, Mrs. Habsburg Douglas stated in the report of the mission.

There was also added that some steps in the organizing and conducting the elections in Ukraine this year became the step backwards comparing to the previous elections held in Ukraine.

Some violations in the process of electoral campaign have been also mentioned and strongly condemned by the representatives of the OSCE mission, such as the using of the administrative resources and pressure on the voters. The situation with the political prisoners was also mentioned.

Walburga Habsburg Douglas, Head
of the OSCE delegation in Ukraine

Mrs. Habsburg Douglas also declared that the new Ukrainian Parliament should become the reconciliation forum in Ukraine.

“Now, when the electoral campaign and process are over, there is a time to start the work in order to unite the country and develop it. And it is also very important to create the reconciliation forum in the Parliament and in the country”, stressed the head of the OSCE mission in Ukraine, reminding also about the state of affairs when the prominent oppositional leaders, Yulia Tymoshenko and Yury Lutsenko, are imprisoned and were banned from running in the parliamentary elections.

Mrs. Habsburg Douglas also added that some changes imposed in the electoral law before the elections allowed more candidates to run for the seats in the Parliament. This step was estimated positive.

“But Ukraine has also made a big step backwards cancelling hundreds of the candidacies due to come technical reasons and also banning Yulia Tymoshenko and Yury Lutsenko from the participation in the elections,” added the head of the OSCE delegation.