OSCE/ODIHR mission head: Election irregularities deserve close attention by government and thorough investigation

All violations recorded by OSCE mission observers in the parliamentary elections in Ukraine should be investigated, the head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term observation mission, Audrey Glover, has said.

"All of the violations mentioned in our report deserve close attention from the authorities, and their causes should be investigated. However, in my opinion, of greatest concern is the massive abuse of power by local officials to support a particular candidate. This trend, which we saw in Ukraine, blurs the line between the government and one of the parties. This is contrary to the principles of the OSCE," she said in an interview with Kommersant-Ukraine, which was published on Tuesday.

Glover said that the fight between single-seat candidates in constituencies was "more fierce," but the OSCE does not divide violations into "majority" and "proportional."

When asked whether the bribery of voters was among the most critical issues, the mission's head said: "This is another frequent peculiarity of the current elections. We mentioned these cases in our report - our analysts personally witnessed violations or received clear evidence. We only mention any problems in official documents if we prove that the violation did occur."

"Those responsible [for violations] should be identified by the judicial system, not us. This is the task of the authorities - to take the necessary measures. I do not see the complexity of investigating such cases, because the bribery of voters is clearly stated in the Criminal Code as an offense. According to my data, the CEC passed the reports on many cases to the Prosecutor General's Office," Glover said.

She also noted that the violations had been committed not only by the government, but also by the opposition.