International Observers Condemn Ukraine's Elections As "Setback"
(Vatican Radio) International observers have questioned Ukraine's democratic credentials
saying Sunday’s parliamentary elections were overshadowed by "a lack of transparency"
and abuse of power. The announcement by the monitoring mission of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) came shortly after the ruling Party
of Regions claimed victory. in the vote. In a harsh statement, the OSCE said however
that the October 28 ballot was overshadowed by "the abuse of power and the excessive
role of money". Additionally observers noted a lack of transparency over how parties
were financed. They claimed the ruling party had abused state resources and facilities
for campaigning.
MEDIA CONTROL
The OSCE made clear it was not surprised
that President Viktor Yanukovich’s pro-Russian Regions seems likely to have secured
a majority in parliament because media coverage favored him. It concluded that "aspects
of the pre-election period constituted a step backwards compared with recent national
elections.” That was in reference to Yanukovich’s election as president in February
2010, which was judged fair by the West. The OSCE also expressed concern that the
inability of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister,
to run as a candidate “negatively affected” the election process.
VOTERS CONCERNED
That
view is shared by at least some voters in the Western Ukrainian town of Uzhhorod,
including Tudor Kilaru a local television and radio presenter. You cannot put in jail
the leader of the opposition. You can do not what they are doing," he told Vatican
Radion.
"It's going towards the Russian way of ruling," he said."It's not
going towards Europe but towards authoritarian rule," Kilaru warned.
Yet
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov called the election "a vote of confidence" in the Yanukovich
administration, despite a strong showing from opposition parties. Election officials
say however that only less than half of registered voters bothered to cast their ballots
amid growing disillusionment with politics.