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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

On Whom is the Central Election Committee Banking?

20 July, 1999 - 00:00

On July 13 a press conference was held in the Union of Journalists of Ukraine
with Oleh Bai, Chairman of the State Committee for Information Policy,
Ihor Lubchenko, Union head, and Mykola Tomenko, director of the Institute
of Politics. Those present strongly criticized the Central Election Commission's
resolution On the Procedures for Using the Mass Media in the Election Campaign.
The document provides for special procedures in using the media to disseminate
"agitation," "image-making" and other material by the contenders in the
current presidential marathon.

According to Mykola Tomenko, this CEC resolution is simply unrealistic;
it cannot be implemented, because it was composed by people who have only
a very vague idea about the situation that has actually developed in Ukraine.
Or maybe they deliberately worked it out in such a way as to make its implementation
impossible and have an opportunity to get some periodical, television,
or radio station or another responsible for failing to comply with it.
Clauses relating to the media's obligations to secure equal representation
to all candidates are lacking in terms of motivation and formulation. Mr.
Tomenko further believes that media supported by foreign, specifically
Russian capital, will be most actively involved in the campaign, which
could distort the picture of the Ukrainian electorate's will. Incidentally,
no mention of this involvement is made in the resolution.

 

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