International observers predict fewer violations in Ukraine's elections (03/22/98)

International observers predict fewer violations in Ukraine's elections

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - International election observers preparing for the March 29 Verkhovna Rada elections believe they will see fewer election law violations than in previous years.

"I think that this time, because the political parties will be present at the polling stations, the regulations will be more meticulously enforced," said Andre Bouchard, director of the Ukraine office of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).

The new Ukrainian election law gives parties running candidates in electoral districts representation on district election commissions and allows them to have officially designated observers at polling stations the day of the balloting.

In the March 1994 elections to the Verkhovna Rada and the presidential elections that followed several months later, there were accusations of ballot stuffing and falsifications. International observer groups decided that, although there had been individual violations, nothing had occurred on a scale that could have invalidated the entire election process.

IFES is one of several international organizations that have organized international observer teams which Ukraine's Central Election Commission (CEC) has accredited for this year's legislative elections. As of March 17, 122 observers had been accredited from several United States and European organizations and the embassies of the United States, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Nearly 500 observers are expected by the eve of elections. Their mission will be to monitor voting procedures and tallying efforts and to look for outright fraud as well as minor procedural inconsistencies with the electoral law. They will then file reports and recommendations with their respective organizations.

Nicole King, Ukraine director of the U.S-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), listed several of the items that observers will look for as they make their rounds of polling stations: "Are they open on time; is everything in place; are the voting boxes in site?" She said the teams will also look to make sure that voters have their passports with them and will ensure that the ballots are counted at the beginning and end of the day. NDI will have about 70 observers in place on election Sunday, some from other former Soviet republics,

Ms. King said NDI will do much of its work through the Ukraine-based Committee of Voters of Ukraine, which will have the largest election observer team in place, with about 15,000 monitors who will cover all the major regions of the country.

Some of the international observer groups, such as the Election Observer Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), fresh from elections in Bosnia, also have reviewed the election law itself, and the party and candidate registration procedures that pre-dated the elections, to analyze the extent to which it meets European standards.

Mark Power-Stevens, deputy head of the OSCE Elections Observer Mission, said the organization's assignment is to assess Ukraine's adherence to the commitments it has made to democracy as one of the 54 member-states of the OSCE.

"They all agree to allow observation of each others' elections," said Mr. Power-Stevens.

The OSCE observer delegation will be largest foreign team in Ukraine with more than 200 observers forming some 100 teams, which will cover 60-65 percent of Ukraine's oblasts and Crimea, said Mr. Power-Stevens. They will move continually from polling station to polling station throughout election day.

Two potential problems could surface during the election process, according to Mr. Bouchard of IFES. First, because hand-counting of the ballots at some polling stations could last well into the early morning hours of the next day, observers may not be on hand to witness the counting of the final votes, which could give vote counters a freedom they should not have.

And, second, with a new law and with new and inexperienced officials at the polling stations, there could be procedural irregularities. Officials unfamiliar with the new law or CEC regulations may adhere to old election procedures or simply not realize a procedure is not being followed.

One specific violation the observer teams will look for is voting by the head of household for the entire family, which occurred often in the 1994 elections. Mr. Power-Stevens said the tradition is common in a number of countries. "We have that problem in many places. The law is put into effect and they vote in that manner anyway."

However, monitor teams will be able to point out such irregularities to polling station committees and counsel them to make adjustments. The tradition is "not one of the most hideous voting violations possible," said Mr. Power-Stevens. "You have to put it into the context of the culture."

The International Republican Institute, with approximately 30 observers, and the European Commission also are scheduled to take part in the election monitoring process.