Elections: neither free nor democratic

The local elections held in the Ukraine on October 31 have been harshly criticised by local opposition parties, the international community and Ukrainian civil society.

Ten opposition parties released a joint statement after the election over the weekend stating that “the current government has put an end to the tradition of fair elections established after the Orange Revolution.”

“It is in the interest of the opposition to cry tampering and foul at every opportunity but looking at the government’s litany of reported violations they may have a point,” said the People First Foundation, a Ukrainian human rights watch organisation.

According to the Razumkov Centre 58.3 per cent of Ukrainian citizens believe that the results of the local elections had the potential to be rigged.

The United States embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, joined the chorus stating that the elections “did not meet standards for openness and fairness.” Its statement came after the non partisan Ukrainian election monitoring body OPORA released a report denouncing how the election was carried out.

“There have been so many violations that we cannot say it was democratic, transparent and open,” said Dmitry Gnap, an OPORA spokes person.

The reported said that the biggest challenge observed on voting day was the quality of the voter list. It accuses commission members of the polling station of adding people to the voter list on Election Day without a proper reason, thus violating the law.

The government has denied these accusations and some independent observers back its claim that the vote was democratic. The People First Foundation said that “despite all the noise leading up to the lection the electoral commission appears to have organised and managed a free and fair vote.”

However, in a statement about the election it added, “clearly while the election day itself was compliant with international standards the days leading up to it were not.”

President Viktor Yanukovych is under fire for the overall state of liberty in the country. He is accused of cracking down on democracy as well as the freedom of the press. Opposition parties and civil society activists report being harassed by law enforcement officers during the run up to the elections and in 2010 Ukraine was downgraded by 42 spots in a media freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders.

Observers say that under these conditions the election results were a foregone conclusion in favour of the ruling Regions party.