Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky visits Kyiv to size up election preparations (02/10/02)

Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky visits Kyiv to size up election preparations

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky used a two-day visit to Kyiv on February 5-6 to glimpse how elections to Ukraine's Parliament are shaping up and to emphasize their significance in Washington's eyes. During a series of meetings with government officials, including President Leonid Kuchma, as well as lawmakers, journalists and representatives of civic organizations, she said that an accent must be placed on keeping the entire electoral process, which will culminate in a national poll on March 31, free and fair.

"The spirit in which I came here is to underscore the importance which we attach to the relationship and the importance we attach to the elections," explained Dr. Dobriansky during a meeting with leading journalists and representatives of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations.

Dr. Dobriansky, whose father was Lev Dobriansky, the noted Ukrainian American community leader and scholar, said she was not ready to draw conclusions on how transparent and fair the parliamentary elections would be simply based on the way the campaign season had begun. She acknowledged that she is aware of allegations of campaign violations and what she termed "aberrations," but explained that several alleged incidents were not a reason to condemn the overall process this early on.

"When allegations are put on the table, one part of the election process is that, whether founded or not, each one is investigated thoroughly," Dr. Dobriansky explained.

The undersecretary of state explained that the allegations of improprieties to which she alluded were from a report issued by the respected civic organization the Committee of Ukrainian Voters.

The report, which is published monthly, is a compilation of alleged election law violations as reported by hundreds of monitors the Committee of Ukrainian Voters has in all the voting districts of Ukraine, a project financed by the U.S. government. Thus far the CUV has uncovered alleged abuses by village and town officials and factory managers in forcing residents to sign on with particular political parties or support specific candidates. It also has documented charges of illegal campaign methods, such as offering people money or goods as a lure to support a particular party or candidate.

In addition, Dr. Dobriansky was informed of at least one documented smear campaign and an unauthorized attempt to use the name of a popular candidate in a political bloc's title, as well as an effort to shut down a popular national television station.

Dr. Dobriansky, the highest-ranking Ukrainian American in the Bush administration, emphasized that simply conducting a free and open polling day does not meet the requirements if the point is to have fair elections. She explained that the lead-up to the vote is just as critical in the process and that it should be transparent, allow for equal footing and an equal starting point for all candidates and parties, as well as equal access to the press.

The undersecretary of state also called for a "vibrant public debate" to include all segments of society that would make the various issues and the stands of the political parties and leading candidates more clear.

In response to allegations that the United States was illegally influencing the election process by funding civic organizations that engage in civic education and election monitoring, Dr. Dobriansky said Washington was not attempting to be "intrusive" and in fact had not been. She said the aid is meant as a positive step in the process of educating Ukrainians in developing democratic elections.

The U.S. Embassy announced during Dr. Dobriansky's visit that it would fund additional activities to support free and fair elections, with assistance concentrated in three main areas: promoting more credible, transparent and fair electoral processes; encouraging full and balanced media coverage of the candidates and issues, as well as fair access to the media; and supporting efforts to educate and mobilize citizens to participate in the election process.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebutted another point of criticism a day before Dr. Dobriansky arrived when it stated that Kyiv did not consider the visit by the U.S. undersecretary of state a type of political pressure being applied prior to the elections.

"We do not see any pressure, and we are always ready to accept constructive criticism and advice," explained Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ihor Dolhov.

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