Council of Europe Reminds Kuchma About Fair Elections

“The election campaign in Ukraine is receiving a biased coverage in the government media, in favor of the incumbent President,” representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Thunne Kelam from Estonia and Hanna Severinsen from Denmark reported on October 12 in Strasbourg. Moreover, they claim: “Independent mass media, which criticize President Leonid Kuchma, are experiencing severe pressure from state authorities (tax administration, public hygiene offices, fire inspection, etc.). Sometimes publications even have their bank accounts frozen or are closed down,” the Council of Europe quotes them as saying, according to The Day's information.

These representatives of the European organization visited Ukraine on October 4-6 to analyze the progress of the election campaign in Ukraine after an appeal from the Kaniv Four. Incidentally, the Ukrainian delegation at PACE also supported the four presidential candidates who had claimed there are serious violations of election campaign rules in Ukraine, including those concerning the freedom of the press and the right of candidates for equal access to the media. The PACE envoys gathered much information, which allows them to share the Kaniv Four's preoccupation. Staying in Kyiv, they reminded Mr. Kuchma that he, in his appeal to Parliament on June 28, 1994 (when he was still a presidential candidate), called for a free and fair presidential election. In conclusion, Mr. Kelam and Ms. Severinsen called upon the Ukrainian President to do his utmost to make sure that all candidates have equal access to the media until October 31, to put an end to pressure on independent media, and, in particular, declare a moratorium on all kinds of inspections until the end of the second round of voting.