EPDE Civic Experts’ Mission to the Presidential Elections in Ukraine Starts its Field Visit to Ukraine

The Mission is organized by European Exchange (Germany), Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland) and Promo- LEX (Moldova) in the framework of European Platform of Democratic Elections (EPDE) and supported by European Commission and Polish-German Cooperation Foundation.

The EPDE Experts’ team started its activity on April 30 and will continue until June 30, 2014 (covering also the eventual second round of the Presidential Elections) by combining work at distance as well as carrying a field visit to Ukraine in the period May 8 – 15, 2014 in order to get acquainted with the developments of the election campaign.

The Experts’ Mission will focus on the following aspects:

• need-based support and assistance offered to EPDE platform members in Ukraine to run independent election observation efforts
• analysis/expertise of the main problematic issues related to the electoral policies and legislation in the eve of the Early Presidential Elections in Ukraine.

Taking into consideration current specific social-political situation in Ukraine, based on the recommendations made by the Ukrainian EPDE members (Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) and the Civil Network OPORA), the activity of the Experts’ Mission is concentrating on the following specific objectives:

• Analysis of the impact of the conflicts in the South-Eastern regions of Ukraine on the conduct of Presidential elections;
• Analysis of the role of the media in the context of the 2014 Presidential elections in Ukraine, particularly from the perspective of the situation of media in the Eastern regions of Ukraine;
• Monitoring of the conduct of the election campaign, particularly from the perspective of occurrence of such problems as abuse of official position (administrative resources), voters’ bribery, unsatisfactory activity or sabotage of the work of the electoral bodies and law enforcement agencies.

During their assignment, the members of the Experts’ Mission will accomplish the following tasks:

• Analyze the legal framework and the electoral background of the Presidential elections in Ukraine;
• Review the election observation reports of previous national and international EOM, media and other sources for the identification of the most problematic issues connected to the elections;
• Conduct field research in Ukraine and hold meetings, interviews or focus groups with relevant stakeholders for an in-depth analysis of the most problematic issues related to the elections;
• Elaborate tools, guidelines and relevant documents that will be used by the EPDE Expert’s mission during the Election Day;
• Offer assistance (upon request) to the Ukrainian partners (consultations, analysis of documents, trainings/workshops etc.), including at distance (via e-mail, Skype etc.);
• Collect relevant information for the reports, statements that will be elaborated in the framework of EPDE;
• Formulate recommendations that would further improve the law on election of the President of Ukraine;
• Other relevant tasks.

The findings, conclusions and recommendations of the experts will be presented within public events organized in Kiev and Warsaw, Berlin or Brussels and disseminated by EPDE members in EU and EaP countries.

For more information, please contact the bellow mentioned persons: