Ukraine electoral process falls short of democratic standards, says Polish ministry
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the elections to Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada held on October 28, 2012 were pluralistic and provided voters with the option of casting their ballots for different – including opposition – political parties, however the election process did not fully conform to democratic standards.
The document, which was signed by Polish Foreign Ministry's Press Spokesman Marcin Bosacki, reads that the ministry "notes that breaches were observed during the elections."
The ministry said that the breaches included the use of administrative pressure, the lack of transparency in financing political parties and restricting access to the media for opposition and independent candidates.
"For those reasons, the election process did not fully conform to democratic standards," reads the statement.
At the same time, the ministry expressed hope that the Ukrainian authorities will continue to implement the needed systemic reforms, including of the country's justice system, and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union.
"The signing and implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, would represent a significant step in this direction," reads the document.
