March 26: election of a majority

President Yushchenko has formed a public advisory council to ensure fair elections on March 26. The council will conduct independent monitoring of the balloting procedure and observance of voters’ rights. The Ukrainian leader made this announcement during his Feb. 25 live radio address to the nation. National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences president Borys Paton has been appointed to chair the council. According to the presidential press service, the council includes 15 members. The main task of the council is to draw up and submit proposals to the Ukrainian president concerning the enforcement of voters’ rights during the 2006 elections and the conduct of public monitoring of election participants, government agencies, and the mass media to enforce their compliance with electoral legislation.

The president has urged voters to join the effort to stop the abuse of the so-called “administrative resource” during the elections. Hotlines will be open at the Central Electoral Commission, local administrations, law enforcement agencies, and civic organizations, and voters will be able to call in and report any attempts to exert pressure or commit election fraud. “No signal will be ignored,” he said.

President Yushchenko pointed out that the international community will be closely scrutinizing the Ukrainian elections, and the country’s image depends on how democratic they are. “The international community is closely watching the parliamentary elections. Our neighbors understand that this March our young democracy will face its first serious test. As Ukraine’s president, I will make every effort to ensure that the elections are democratic. I will require the central and regional authorities to observe electoral legislation and the presidential order ‘On Fair Elections’,” Yushchenko said. He also pointed out that “it is important for society to elect both a responsible parliament that is prepared to cooperate with the government, and qualified local authorities that are committed to resolving social and economic problems.”

President Yushchenko emphasized: “Together last year we showed that the Ukrainian leadership is elected in Ukraine, not in Brussels, Washington, or Moscow. And this March we will prove that from now on the results of the race depend exclusively on the will of citizens, not the administrative resource or external factors. I am certain that the administrative resource is the tool of a weak leadership that has no support among the population and has lost touch with the people,” he said.

Viktor Yushchenko also said that the March 26 elections will primarily be a choice of a new parliamentary majority. “On March 26 the Ukrainian people will not be electing a prime minister or chancellor, but primarily a new parliamentary majority,” he said, adding: “I believe that this will be a democratic majority that will be able honestly to represent the position of millions of citizens, uphold the interests of the Ukrainian people, and defend the interests of Ukraine, not those of other countries.”

The president urged his fellow countrymen to display an active stance and vote in the elections. “Your position and each of your votes will determine the composition of the future Verkhovna Rada. Vote with your heart, mind, and conscience,” Yushchenko said. The president also urged electoral commissions and local self-governing bodies to create conditions enabling all voters to cast their votes on March 26. “I address members of electoral commissions and local self-governing bodies. It is up to you how voting day will proceed. You must create comfortable conditions for every voter, regardless of his or her age or state of health. You must provide transportation for those who cannot move on their own. Neither the law nor the order requires this, but the authorities’ duty to citizens does,” President Yushchenko said in his radio address.

The president also urged election candidates to compete for votes using civilized methods. “I have a special request for all participants in the election race. The elections should not become a calamity for the country. This is not a war of incriminating evidence, nor is it a time for mutual insults. This is primarily an honest and open competition for votes. This is a contest of agendas and ideas, not a free-for-all fight. I urge all of you to show respect for voters and your responsibility before citizens and before the law,” he said. The president also urged government representatives, state functionaries, and all levels of administrators to respect every person’s freedom and choice.