Ukraine's Central Election Commission and OSCE sign plan of cooperation

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

KYIV - The Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC) on September 8 signed a plan of cooperation with the OSCE project coordinator in Ukraine during a joint press conference at CEC headquarters.

The agreement regulates how the organizations will cooperate in their joint effort to further improve the Ukrainian election process. It covers areas such as assistance to voters with special needs, updating the system of voter lists, educating subjects of the elections process and raising the legal awareness of voters on election issues.

"The OSCE has proved to be a reliable partner for Ukraine in the sphere of elections during past years. I greatly appreciate and value our cooperation in making the Ukrainian election process more fair and transparent," said Yaroslav Davydovych, chairman of the CEC, which is the state body responsible for conducting elections.

OSCE Project Coordinator Ambassador James Schumaker said, "This plan shows the willingness of Ukraine to comply with their OSCE commitments and to promptly follow up on ODIHR's recommendations. The OSCE project coordinator stands willing to assist the Central Election Commission in doing so."

In supporting the Ukrainian government through projects undertaken within OSCE competencies, the project coordinator supports the election process in a non-partisan and objective manner. Separately, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the institution responsible for election observation within the OSCE.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, September 11, 2005, No. 37, Vol. LXXIII

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