Statement by Yulia Tymoshenko regarding changes to presidential election law
Dear compatriots!
Several hour ago an extraordinary events took place in the Verkhovna Rada. Three days to the elections, the presidential election law was amended, thus fully destroying the presidential elections – making them fraudulent, dishonest and uncontrollable.
This was done because Yanukovych doesn’t believe in his victory, and wants to achieve this result only through fraud.
Until these unacceptable changes were made, election commissions were formed on a parity principle – half of the commission representing Yanukovych, and the other half me. And this gave hope that the results would be monitored and controlled.
However, the amendments to the law, which were made in violation of all parliamentary rules, essentially destroyed parliamentarism and equal control over the elections. And now, according to this law, members of election commissions can be kicked out without a court ruling and the commissions can be comprised of members from only one candidate
I believe this threatens the elections and completely destroys democracy in the state. This destroys the choice the people must make in the presidential elections.
I will now take extraordinary measures. First of all, I will ask the President of Ukraine – if he feels that he is the guarantor of the Constitution, and that he is responsible for the continuation of democracy in our state - to veto this law immediately. If he does not veto it, then I will assume that the President is a party in all the ongoing processes to destroy honest elections.
I have invited the G-8 ambassadors to a meeting in several hours. Tomorrow I will invite all ambassadors here in Ukraine to inform them that once the law is signed, elections don’t exist, they have no meaning, because everything, every figure, will be falsified. Tomorrow I will also hold a press conference for representatives of foreign media.
I want the whole world to know who is destroying Ukraine’s young democracy. I want the whole world to know that the end has come to honest elections in Ukraine. I want the world, all organizations and democratically-minded individuals in our country to make their assessment.
I will fight for the previous version of the law to remain in force, and for elections to take place in Ukraine.
Several hour ago an extraordinary events took place in the Verkhovna Rada. Three days to the elections, the presidential election law was amended, thus fully destroying the presidential elections – making them fraudulent, dishonest and uncontrollable.
This was done because Yanukovych doesn’t believe in his victory, and wants to achieve this result only through fraud.
Until these unacceptable changes were made, election commissions were formed on a parity principle – half of the commission representing Yanukovych, and the other half me. And this gave hope that the results would be monitored and controlled.
However, the amendments to the law, which were made in violation of all parliamentary rules, essentially destroyed parliamentarism and equal control over the elections. And now, according to this law, members of election commissions can be kicked out without a court ruling and the commissions can be comprised of members from only one candidate
I believe this threatens the elections and completely destroys democracy in the state. This destroys the choice the people must make in the presidential elections.
I will now take extraordinary measures. First of all, I will ask the President of Ukraine – if he feels that he is the guarantor of the Constitution, and that he is responsible for the continuation of democracy in our state - to veto this law immediately. If he does not veto it, then I will assume that the President is a party in all the ongoing processes to destroy honest elections.
I have invited the G-8 ambassadors to a meeting in several hours. Tomorrow I will invite all ambassadors here in Ukraine to inform them that once the law is signed, elections don’t exist, they have no meaning, because everything, every figure, will be falsified. Tomorrow I will also hold a press conference for representatives of foreign media.
I want the whole world to know who is destroying Ukraine’s young democracy. I want the whole world to know that the end has come to honest elections in Ukraine. I want the world, all organizations and democratically-minded individuals in our country to make their assessment.
I will fight for the previous version of the law to remain in force, and for elections to take place in Ukraine.
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