Ukraine

Support to the Election Process


 

BiRD-Bureau for Institutional
Reform and Democracy

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Implementing Agency Bureau for Institutional Reform and Democracy GmbH
Financing Agency
 European Commission
Start-Completion 06/2004 - 05/2005
Staff-months 1/7.5, 1/4.5, 1/3 plus local support staff
Partner ICON-INSTITUT Public Sector GmbH/ Germany
Project Background

Presidential elections were scheduled to be held in Ukraine on October 31, 2004. There is considerable evidence (some from surveys) that despite the high turnout, voters distrust both politicians and the political process, apathy in the sense that "my vote will make no difference". Voter registration, currently a local responsibility, is subject to widespread criticism, especially concerning the accuracy of the registers.
The project consequently has five components:
- Voter Education Campaign,
- Electoral Trainings,
- Judicial Trainings,
- Improvement of Voter Registration,
- Printing of the Election Law.
Project Objectives The various project components aim to supplement each other:
- The Voter Education campaign aimed at producing TV and radio spots, posters as well as inserts for Ukrainian community newspapers abroad. Key messages included bribe avoidance, the meaning of election fraud and voter registration.
- The trainings for Territorial Election Commission officials focused on, inter alia, counting procedures, handling of complaints, security issues, legal obligations, the election commissioners' relationship with electoral observers, and the observers' rights and obligations.
- The judicial trainings aimed at judges dealing with election-related disputes. These were carried out in close cooperation with the OSCE and the American Bar Association/ Central European and European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI).
- The Voter Registration component of the project is scheduled to begin only in February 2005, i.e. after the elections. Negotiations between the Central Election Commission and the Verkhovna Rada should facilitate agreement on a common draft law on the issue of a centralised and computerised voter register.
- Moreover, 150,000 copies of the new Presidential Election Law were printed.
Project Activities Technical Assistance
Training

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