IRI report assesses pre-election climate in Ukraine

WASHINGTON - The International Republican Institute (IRI) on March 8 released a report assessing the pre-election political climate in Ukraine. The eight-member IRI delegation to Ukraine evaluated the impact of the country's new parliamentary election law on the pre-election environment and determined that while the legal framework for the elections has improved, there are still concerns regarding the lack of an established independent media and the use of government resources for partisan purposes.

Nevertheless, the IRI report said the organization believes that the new provisions of the law, which allow political party representatives to serve as members of election commissions, is a dramatic improvement both in terms of election administration and as a deterrent to election fraud.

"Ukraine has come a long way systematically in terms of developing a legislative framework for conducting elections," IRI Eurasia Director Stephen Nix said. "However, the possibility of having local authorities use administrative resources to benefit certain candidates could be a threat to the integrity of the elections," Mr. Nix added.

The IRI's eight-member delegation conducted the pre-election assessment on February 4-9 and interviewed 85 representatives from the government media, election commissions, political parties and NGOs. The delegation conducted the assessment in the following cities: Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk. (To view the complete report, please visit www.iri.org.)

The IRI is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide. Its programs span the globe and include training on civic responsibility and the legislative process, and strategies for building political parties and election campaigns. The IRI is a non-partisan organization, funded through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 2002, No. 11, Vol. LXX

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