OSCE urges Kyiv to set up centralized voter register

WARSAW - The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is urging Ukraine to establish a centralized voter register, harmonize its election-related laws and increase the professionalism of lower-level election commissions.

The final report on the conduct of the March 2006 parliamentary elections in Ukraine reaffirms the conclusions published in a preliminary statement on the day following the elections, which said that they were conducted largely in line with OSCE commitments for democratic elections. The final report noted that the election further consolidated progress that had already been evident during the December 26, 2004 repeat second round of the presidential election.

The report, released on June 23, includes post-election developments and 27 recommendations for further improving the electoral process in Ukraine.

The OSCE /ODIHR Election Observation Mission was headed by Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj. Over 900 observers monitored the parliamentary elections on March 26 on behalf of the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as almost 200 parliamentarians from the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE, Council of Europe and NATO, and the European Parliament.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 2, 2006, No. 27, Vol. LXXIV

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