FT Interview with
Hryhoriy Nemyria
___________________________________
YULIA TYMOSHENKO
Official
Website
GOVERNMENT
PORTAL
Inform
SUBSCRIBE
Yanukovych Clears Path to Election Fraud
05 February 2010
Published in
Inform
issue #140
See the full issue here.
The prospect of election fraud once more looms large in Ukraine. Just days before voters go to the polls, President Viktor Yushchenko signed into law amendments to rules governing the election process that could pave the way to mass falsifications.
At a parliamentary session on Wednesday, the party of presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych, with support from the Communist Party and dissidents from the Our-Ukraine-People’s Self-Defence bloc, voted in the amendments. The changes scrap the requirement for a quorum of representatives of both contenders to approve the count at individual polling stations.
It means that local election commissions in charge of the country's 38,000 or so voting stations will be able to sign off the results without the approval of commission members nominated by Ms Tymoshenko.
See the full issue here.
The prospect of election fraud once more looms large in Ukraine. Just days before voters go to the polls, President Viktor Yushchenko signed into law amendments to rules governing the election process that could pave the way to mass falsifications.
At a parliamentary session on Wednesday, the party of presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych, with support from the Communist Party and dissidents from the Our-Ukraine-People’s Self-Defence bloc, voted in the amendments. The changes scrap the requirement for a quorum of representatives of both contenders to approve the count at individual polling stations.
It means that local election commissions in charge of the country's 38,000 or so voting stations will be able to sign off the results without the approval of commission members nominated by Ms Tymoshenko.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
expressed her concerns to EU and US ambassadors and
representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR election monitor
mission. She also appealed to President Yushchenko
not to ratify the law. Hanne Severinsen, the Danish
politician and former Head of the PACE Monitoring
Committee for 12 years, also urged the president to
veto the legislation. Klas Bergman, the director of
communications for the OSCE's Parliamentary
Assembly, was another to stress the importance of
not changing the country's electoral rules between
the two rounds.
But the pleas of the international community went unheeded. Yesterday Mr Yushchenko signed the amendments into law. This led the matter to be raised by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. MEPs Elmar Brok and Charles Tannock (respectively the European People’s Party and the ECR’s foreign affairs coordinators) issued a press statement saying, "The decision to change the electoral rules in between presidential election rounds now raises serious concerns about the vulnerability of these elections to violations and fraud which could undermine the final result."
Foreign Minister Moratinos, on behalf of the EU Spanish Presidency, passed responsibility for the EU's official response to High Representative Baroness Catherine Ashton. In a statement she said, “I call on all candidates to ensure that the will of the people can once more be expressed at the polls this Sunday.” She then went on to express her support for the election monitors.
“Oddly, she seems to have missed the point,” remarked one seasoned Ukraine watcher.
Meanwhile, Ms Tymoshenko slammed her opponent’s actions. Mr Yanukovych responded dismissively, showing contempt for the democratic process. “This is a sign of her weakness and an indication that she is losing," he said.
At a press conference held yesterday a steely Ms Tymoshenko said, the law “opens a direct path toward the complete falsification of the election." She added, "If we are unable to guarantee the honest expression of the people's will and honest results, we will mobilise the people."
But the pleas of the international community went unheeded. Yesterday Mr Yushchenko signed the amendments into law. This led the matter to be raised by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. MEPs Elmar Brok and Charles Tannock (respectively the European People’s Party and the ECR’s foreign affairs coordinators) issued a press statement saying, "The decision to change the electoral rules in between presidential election rounds now raises serious concerns about the vulnerability of these elections to violations and fraud which could undermine the final result."
Foreign Minister Moratinos, on behalf of the EU Spanish Presidency, passed responsibility for the EU's official response to High Representative Baroness Catherine Ashton. In a statement she said, “I call on all candidates to ensure that the will of the people can once more be expressed at the polls this Sunday.” She then went on to express her support for the election monitors.
“Oddly, she seems to have missed the point,” remarked one seasoned Ukraine watcher.
Meanwhile, Ms Tymoshenko slammed her opponent’s actions. Mr Yanukovych responded dismissively, showing contempt for the democratic process. “This is a sign of her weakness and an indication that she is losing," he said.
At a press conference held yesterday a steely Ms Tymoshenko said, the law “opens a direct path toward the complete falsification of the election." She added, "If we are unable to guarantee the honest expression of the people's will and honest results, we will mobilise the people."