NEW YORK – Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has once again registered the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), one of the few non-governmental organizations and the only Ukrainian American community organization to monitor the upcoming March 31 presidential elections.
Following the CEC’s acceptance, the UCCA announced the leadership of its International Election Observer Mission (EOM). The mission will be headed by UCCA President Andriy Futey. Michael Sawkiw will serve as deputy chair and Tamara Olexy as mission coordinator. Long-time UCCA international election monitor Reno Domenico will serve as UCCA’s chief observer.
UCCA’s EOM will hold a mandatory training in Kyiv for its observers on Thursday, March 28. The briefing will include instruction on how to operate UCCA’s online election assessment form – the only one of its kind; provide a special seminar on hostile environment training; review the election law; and provide tips on how best to monitor the elections.
The UCCA program will also coordinate in-country travel and lodging, translators and guides if necessary, and provide official CEC accreditation and comprehensive informational packets. International election observer volunteers will be responsible for all costs related to their participation in the UCCA’s EOM.
The goal of the UCCA’s mission is to support an open and transparent electoral process in Ukraine by monitoring it in Ukraine and at diplomatic missions in the United States. In an effort to cover as much territory as possible, the UCCA will coordinate its efforts with the Ukrainian World Congress’s Election Observer Mission.
The UCCA supports Ukraine’s commitment to OSCE standards for free and fair elections that accurately reflect the will of the electorate; it does not support any one candidate, political party or bloc.
Applications for those interested in joining the mission are available on the UCCA’s website at www.ucca.org. Deadline for submission is March 10. For further information about the UCCA’s election observer program, readers may visit the UCCA’s website at www.ucca.org or contact the National Office, either by e-mail, [email protected], or by telephone, 212-228-6840.