BRAMA, February 8, 2010, 9:00 AM ET
Press release
Run-off confirms that Ukraine's presidential election meets most international commitments
KYIV, 8 February 2010 — Ukraine's run-off presidential election
confirmed the international election observation mission's assessment
that the electoral process met most OSCE and Council of Europe
commitments.
In a statement issued today (see (PDF) Ukraine – Presidential Election, Second Round 7 February 2010:
Statement of Preliminary Fundings and Conclusions), the observers noted that the
election consolidated progress achieved since 2004. But they also
concluded that the lack of mutual trust between the candidates and the
deficient legal framework were at the root of the problems observed and
constitute an immediate challenge for the new leadership. The
professional, transparent and honest voting and counting should serve as
a solid foundation for a peaceful transition of power.
"Yesterday's vote was an impressive display of democratic
elections. For everyone in Ukraine, this election was a victory. It is
now time for the country's political leaders to listen to the
people's verdict and make sure that the transition of power is
peaceful and constructive," said João Soares, President of the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly and Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term
observers.
"Some say the Orange Revolution has failed. I say no. Thanks to the
Orange Revolution, democratic elections in Ukraine are now a reality,"
said Matyas Eörsi, Head of the delegation of the Council of Europe's
Parliamentary Assembly.
"The pessimistic scenarios put forward before election day were
proven wrong by the overwhelmingly efficient and non-partisan manner in
which election commissions performed yesterday and by the high turnout.
Ukraine is setting a pattern of democratic elections. The Ukrainian
people, who have shown their commitment to a democratic electoral
process, now deserve a peaceful transition of power," said Assen Agov,
Head of the delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
"Any functioning democracy needs not only to focus on the election
day itself. What it also needs is a wider legal framework guaranteeing
the transparency of the political process including the financing of
political parties and candidates," said Pawel Kowal, Head of the
delegation of the European Parliament.
"This has been a well-administered and truly competitive election
offering voters a clear choice. It will now be crucial to establish
unambiguous rules and close the gaps in the law well in advance of any
new election in order to avoid the uncertainties that marked this
election," said Heidi Tagliavini, Head of the election observation
mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR).
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