Kyiv, October 27, 2014 – «The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s International Election Observer Mission, which observered the election in nine regions of Ukraine, including: Dnipropetrovsk, Khakhiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzha and Zhytomyr, as well as at diplomatic posts in the United States and Dublin – affirms that the October 26th early parliamentary elections met international standards for free and fair elections that accurately reflects the will of Ukraine’s electorate», – informed Tamara Olexiy, UCCA president, head of the UCCA mission, at a briefing in the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
The UCCA IEOM based its preliminary statement on the direct observation of both the pre-election campaign period as well as on Election Day. Prior to the October 26th early elections, the UCCA long-term observers did not see any evidence of the use of administrative resources, and noted that candidates and political parties had access to the mass media, in contrast to the previous parliamentary elections.
The UCCA’s 105 short-term election observers visited over 250 polling sites in urban, suburban and rural areas, and [despite minor infractions] deemed that the elections were conducted in a transparent and democratic manner.
The UCCA would like to commend the efforts of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission to provide every opportunity for Ukraine’s electorate to cast a ballot. Despite the ongoing violence in the East and efforts by the Russian-backed terrorists in Donetsk and Luhansk, we understand that less than 10% of Ukrainians were prevented from exercising their right to vote.
The UCCA hopes that the newly-elected members of the Verkhovna Rada form a coalition government as soon as possible so that the legislators can institute the much needed reforms, end the endemic corruption to stabilize the situation and ensure Ukraine’s continued EuroAtlantic integration.
And finally, the UCCA would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to all of our International Election Observers for volunteering their time and money to participate in our Mission. Your commitment to Ukraine and her democratic process is greatly appreciated.