During a press conference held on October 29, 2012 at the UNIAN Information Agency in Kyiv representatives of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Election Observation Mission to the 2012 Parliamentary election in Ukraine presented a Preliminary Statement summarizing the work of the mission. Based on the findings of both long-term and short-term UWC observer missions, the 2012 Parliamentary elections in Ukraine failed to meet numerous international standards for the conduct of democratic elections.

As reported by UWC Mission co-chairs Paul Grod and Tamara Olexy, the imprisonment of a number of the principal opposition leaders, in particular the leaders of the United Opposition Batkivschyna, Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuri Lutsenko, condemned by international jurists, human rights organizations and democratic governments as politically motivated, casts from the outset severe doubt on whether the elections could have been considered to be free and fair.

The Preliminary Statement was made prior to the final tabulation of votes and the announcement of pre-election and final election results, the judicial review of any potential grievances and appeals.

Over 250 short-term observers from the UWC monitored the elections in 12 oblasts of Ukraine, including Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Zaporizhia and the Crimean Autonomous Republic. UWC short-term observers were also present at many Ukrainian diplomatic missions throughout the world.

The Mission produced six reports based on its work: Gerrymandering of Electoral Districts, Media Freedom (pre-campaign) in Lead-up to Official Start of Campaign, Election Financing, Media Freedom II (campaign), The Central Electoral Commission, and The Conduct of the Election Campaign.

The Mission will publish a comprehensive final report, offering recommendations for potential improvements after completion of the process. The UWC expresses gratitude to the Ukrainian people for their hospitality during the work of the International Election Observation Mission.

Videos of the press conference are available at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHHgWKJz6Xs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvlDru4u_EI

The UWC is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC has member organizations in 33 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 14 additional countries. Founded in 1967 as a non-profit corporation, the UWC was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status.

Ukrainian World Congress

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M8Z 5X8 Canada

Tel. (416) 323-3020
Fax (416) 323-3250
e-mail: congress@look.ca

website: www.ukrainianworldcongress.org