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Assemblée parlementaire de l'OTAN
HomeMEDIA RESOURCES200423 November 2004 - PRESS COMMUNIQUE : ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT PIERRE LELLOUCHE CONDEMNS UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS SEVERE SETBACK FOR UKRAINE’S REFORM EFFORTS
23 November 2004 - PRESS COMMUNIQUE : ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT PIERRE LELLOUCHE CONDEMNS UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS SEVERE SETBACK FOR UKRAINE’S REFORM EFFORTS
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The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Pierre Lellouche (France) strongly criticized the Ukrainian Presidential election held on Sunday 21 November. He said, "The international observer mission in which the NATO Parliamentary Assembly participated found that the election did not remedy the shortcomings observed in the first round of elections three weeks earlier, and did not meet a considerable number of OSCE commitments and Council of Europe and other European standards for democratic elections." |
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"One can only conclude from the evidence of overwhelming media bias, misuse of state resources, and pressure on voters, as well as irregularities on election day itself, that this election was seriously flawed. The Ukrainian people deserve better, and it is clear that the result is not being accepted by the majority of Ukrainians." "I personally also feel that this election was marked by unacceptable foreign interference which contravened the norms of international relations". "This tainted election threatens to undermine the progress that Ukraine has been making in shaking off the legacy of its past: its hopes for integration with the Euro-Atlantic community have receded further into the future." "The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has consistently expressed its support for Ukraine’s programmes of political and defence reform, and it will continue to work with the members of the Ukrainian parliament. But this latest Presidential election is a severe setback for Ukraine’s reform efforts, and is a major step backwards." |
