The largest election observation mission led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe called the May 25 presidential election a “genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms in the vast majority of the country,” reads an OSCE-released statement at the Teacher’s House in Kyiv.
“This election proved the high democratic spirit of the
people of Ukraine,” said Joao Soares, special coordinator appointed to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission. “And the people of Ukraine seized
the opportunity to vote in high numbers…This election was characterized…by the clear resolve of authorities.”
Based on information from more than 1,000 observers from 47
countries, the OSCE statement added that the “voting and counting process were
transparent and largely in line with procedures, despite large queues of voters
at polling stations in some parts of the country.”
Its statement of preliminary findings and conclusions noted
that the election took place despite a “hostile security environment” in
Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts where a counterterrorism operation has been
underway since April 14 to rid the area of Kremlin-backed separatists.
The OSCE noted that illegally armed groups have intruded
into and forced eviction and closure of district election commissions,
intimidated election officials, including abductions, death threats, force
entry into private homes, seizure of equipment and election materials, “and the
shooting of a candidate proxy.”
The international organization said the “illegal actions constituted
an attempt to prevent the election, deny citizens the fundamental right to freely
participate and elect their chosen representative.”
As a result, on election day, polling didn’t take place in 10
of the 12 election districts in Luhansk Oblast and 14 of the 22 election
districts in Donetsk Oblasts.
It also observed no cases of misuse of administrative
resources, or bureaucratic manipulation of the election process, and welcomed the
introduction of public broadcasting on television and radio. It lamented that
campaign financing is still an issue and that the election law did not address
previous OSCE recommendations on the matter.
Kyiv Post editor Mark
Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].
