PM believes elections to be the best way of political and national lustration

On Thursday, October 23, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk held a teleconference regarding the elections. He has reminded that today the law, submitted by the Government, came into force. This law provides the criminal responsibility for bribery of voters, vote selling and fraud of election documents.

The Prime Minister has given Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov two days to take measures so as to clarify the law on amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (strengthening responsibility for violating citizens' electoral rights): "Any person, regardless of either he/she is from the party in power or from the opposition party, or relates to the armed forces shall be held responsible for violation of this law."

He has supported the initiative of the Internal Minister regarding the Information Center at the MIA: "Any violation should receive an immediate reaction by law enforcement, as well as dissemination of information through the media about who has been prosecuted and what was made so as to avoid such violations in the future."

Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted that the Government had fully financed the preparation and holding of elections. He instructed the Ministry of Finance to control, "so that all funds would have been paid to the members of commissions; the Central Election Commission must also completely close all its accounts that are required for the fair and transparent electoral process."

The Prime Minister also instructed the Minister of Fuel and Energy to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity, "lest the light should be turned off just at the moment while counting ballots": "It is also an issue of the security and reliability of the election results."

Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed to the Central Election Commission to give as soon as possible clear information about the polling stations to be opened in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, "so as to let the citizens of Ukraine and society know where elections will be held, and where no elections are possible."

Moreover, he appealed to the heads of regional state administrations and representatives of law enforcement agencies to provide assistance to international observers: “Recognition of fairness and transparency of the elections in Ukraine is the recognition that the Association Agreement with the European Union hasn’t been just signed on paper, but that in fact, we prove that Ukraine is a democratic state.”

"I ask the whole Ukrainian leadership to provide full assistance to NGOs for election observation," the Prime Minister said.

In this election, according to him, Ukrainians are to elect "those who will be responsible for the fate of the country at these very difficult times": "Election is the best way to political or popular lustration. People should have the right to vote. Those, who will be elected, shall have the right to represent Ukrainians in a newly elected Parliament, as well as the right to form a new Government and the highest level of responsibility for the future of the state."

"Our responsibility is to ensure the constitutional rights and guarantees of the Ukrainian citizens. Therefore, security, fairness, transparency during summarizing the results of the vote are the challenges faced by every head as regional and district administrations and law enforcement, special services and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine", Arseniy Yatsenyuk added.