Brussels, 30/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - During the evening of Monday 29 October, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle said that it is “particularly important that the Ukrainian authorities ensure proper conduct in the coming stages of the electoral process, notably as regards the remaining vote count, tabulation of results and following up on possible electoral complaints”. They added that they expect that the Ukrainian monochamber parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, “will fully reflect the will of the Ukrainian voters, as expressed during Sunday's elections”, saying that the turnout for these elections “shows the Ukrainian citizens' attachment to a democratic and pluralistic society”.
Having followed the pre-electoral period and the voting process closely, Ashton and Füle have taken “full note of the International Observation Mission's preliminary findings on the conduct of the elections - which present a mixed picture with several shortcomings - and of the difficulties faced by the local electoral observers” (see EUROPE 10720). “The final assessment will also depend on post-electoral developments, which we will watch closely”, they said.
Ashton and Füle once again called on the authorities to examine the question of trials that do not respect international standards and have prevented opposition representatives from standing in the parliamentary elections. They called on the authorities to take further steps to reform the judiciary. (CG/transl.fl)