U.S. State Department comments on elections (04/07/02)

U.S. State Department comments on elections

Following is the full text of a statement on Ukraine's parliamentary elections issued by the U.S. Department of State and delivered on April 1 by Philip T. Reeker, deputy spokesman.

On March 31 the people of Ukraine went to the polls to select their Parliament. The Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) issued a preliminary statement today regarding the election, which pointed out that:

"The March 31 parliamentary elections indicated progress over the 1998 parliamentary polls, though "important flaws persist."

"Improvements included a new election law that took into account international recommendations and a civil society engaged in the electoral process.

"However, a general atmosphere of distrust pervaded the pre-electoral environment due to factors which included flawed implementation of the legal framework, illegal interference by the authorities in the electoral process, and abuse of administrative resources, including allegations of pressure on public employees to vote for certain candidates. Media coverage was highly biased, and opposition candidates did not have equal access to electronic media.

"The role of the Central Election Commission and the judiciary in the immediate period ahead in promptly and transparently tabulating and publishing the results and addressing disputes will be instrumental in formulating final conclusions."

The United States concurs with the OSCE mission's preliminary statement. We are disappointed that the government of Ukraine did not move in a proactive manner to ensure a level playing field for all political parties. We are particularly disappointed that officials did not take steps to curb the widespread and open abuse of authority, including the use of government positions and facilities, to the unfair advantage of certain parties.

We support OSCE's intent to send a follow-up mission to Ukraine after the certification of results in order to assess the extent to which international commitments and standards for democracy have been met.

We commend the many Ukrainian non-governmental organizations, election monitors, journalists and ordinary citizens who worked toward an election process consistent with international democratic standards. We hope the new Parliament will strive to advance democratic and economic reform within Ukraine and to shape a government that is accountable to its citizens and compatible with the political norms of the Euro-Atlantic community.

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