OSCE issues preliminary statement on presidential runoff in Ukraine (11/21/99)

OSCE issues preliminary statement on presidential runoff in Ukraine

KYIV - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission on November 15 issued a preliminary statement on its observations of the second round presidential elections in Ukraine held on November 14.

The statement was endorsed also by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

According to the findings of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, the conduct of the campaign for the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine was in breach of the election law and the relevant OSCE commitments on democratic elections and showed no improvement over the first round of the election.

State administration and public officials were again observed campaigning for the president and against his challenger. The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission uncovered clear evidence that this campaign by state institutions was systematic and co-ordinated across the country.

The electronic and state-owned media comprehensively failed to live up to their legal obligation to provide balanced and unbiased reporting on the candidates and the campaign in their news coverage of the second round.

During the second round of these elections, voting day procedures according to the law were not followed as closely as they were in the first round. Observers saw instances of more serious violations. Observers in the Lviv Oblast in particular saw voters given several ballot papers and casting more than one vote in a number of rural polling stations visited. They also noted instances of family voting and breaches of the secrecy of the vote.

No final assessment can be reached until the counting and aggregation of votes have been completed and the official results published. The ODIHR Election Observation Mission will continue to follow developments until the election process is completed. The ODIHR Election Observation Mission will issue a final report in December.

This preliminary statement is based on the findings of 26 ODIHR long-term observers and core staff deployed from September 15 and 160 international short-term observers. The international observers included eight members and staff from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, individuals sent from OSCE participating states, members of the diplomatic community in Ukraine, as well as other international organizations present in the country, representing in total 26 participating states.

The PACE delegation was led by Hanne Severinsen (Denmark); the ODIHR Election Observation Mission was headed by Simon Osborn (United Kingdom).

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