Brussels, 13/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 12 November, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle recalled Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's statement of 8 November that he is committed to following up complaints on the parliamentary elections. Ashton and Füle said that they expect “swift and determined action” from the Ukrainian government and national authorities - especially by addressing the inconclusive results in five single mandate election districts through dialogue with all political parties represented in the Ukrainian parliament, and through bringing the electoral legislation into line with European norms and standards on the basis of the electoral code. “There can be no complacency about electoral irregularities”, they added.
Highlighting their concerns about the post-electoral period “which was marred by irregularities, delays in the vote count and lack of transparency in the electoral commissions”, Ashton and Füle also criticised the lack of response from the authorities to the problems and shortcomings identified by the OSCE interim reports on the elections. “Taken together, this represents deterioration in several areas compared to standards previously achieved”, they added.
Recalling their commitment to Ukraine's economic integration and political association with the EU, Ashton and Füle said that this requires action from the government and parliament in order to consolidate democracy.
Azarov said in a press release on 8 November that the Ukrainian government is “seriously concerned” about the situation regarding the vote count in the parliamentary elections, and he officially called on the political parties and candidates involved in the conflict of votes to put an end to their disputes and to start a dialogue. He also said that the government would take into account the comments of the international election observers, and that it is “necessary to return to work on the electoral code, which will enable the electoral legislation to be improved effectively”.
The official results of the elections on 28 October are still not known. (CG/transl.fl)