Verkhovna Rada changes electoral law

On Monday, August 30, Ukraine’s ruling coalition changed the electoral law enabling newly established parties to participate in the coming local elections. The previous ammendments were heavily criticised by domestic and foreign observers.

Experts mainly criticized the article under which only those parties that were registered a year before the elections could participate in them. The US International Republican Institute and the US National Democratic Institute prepared a memorandum on the issue.

The institutes noted that the main amendments to the electoral law were adopted 100 days before the elections, while under the principles of the Venetian Commission legislation on elections can only be amended a year before any given elections. The previous ammendments limited the electoral freedom of newly established parties, including those represented in parliament, and created obvious advantages for the existing parties, according to the document of The US International Republican Institute and the US National Democratic Institute. “Restrictions on new parties and independent candidates appear to be unreasonable in light of the principles established by the Ukrainian Constitution, as well as the international obligations and commitments that Ukraine has undertaken,” the memorandum claimed.

It should be reminded that after the presidential elections, the Verkhovna Rada formed a coalition on the basis of propresidential Party of Regions. This coalition passed several controversial laws, including the abovementioned. Thus, the parties headed by Tihipko, Kyrylenko, Yatseniuk, and Hrytsenko found themselves at a disadvantage, despite possessing the voters’ support at the regional level.