The holding of the so-called “extraordinary elections” in some areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions not controlled by the Ukrainian government violates Russia’s commitment as a party to the Minsk agreements and jeopardizes the entire Minsk process, according to Darka Olifer, spokesperson for Ukraine’s second president and the country’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Leonid Kuchma.
“If such ‘elections’ are held, their results will not have any legal consequences and will not be recognized by either Ukraine or the world,” Olifer wrote on her Facebook page on Sept. 19, following the TCG meeting in Minsk.
“Elections in ORDLO [occupied Donbas] can only take place under Ukrainian law, with the participation of Ukrainian parties and the media, under the supervision of international observers, and in compliance with OSCE standards. That’s exactly how the Minsk agreements determine the conditions under which the elections can be held in ORDLO,” she said.
According to Olifer, the Ukrainian side calls on the Russian side to “abandon a decision that can nullify hard efforts on settling the situation.”
“In turn, Ukraine fulfills its obligations undertaken as part of the Minsk process,” she added.
