Ukraine election: european observers cry foul

A European team monitoring Ukraine’s parliamentary election says the ballot has “reversed democracy”. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe sent more than 800 people to observe the vote. The OSCE accused the ruling Party of Regions of using state resources to boost its campaign. It also complained that national media coverage had been biased in favour of the ruling party and criticised a “lack of transparency” over campaign financing. Audrey Glover, the head of the OSCE mission said: “We would very much like to sit down and talk to the government and come up with some sorts suggestions and recommendations if they are willing to do that. They do have some laws here, perhaps they could implement them.” Adding his weight to the criticism, Andrea Gross from the Council of Europe said Sunday’s vote had been “a clear step backward”. “Today Ukraine is in the same situation like in the last years of (Leonid) Kuchma’s regime (of the 1990s). And that was very bad because then, people also felt excluded and alienated from the political organisation (process); and they (the government) has to think about how to take back – so to say- the role of citizens in the democracy.” Two other observer missions gave more positive reviews of Sunday’s vote.