Interfax: Activist Brod points to Ukraine election rigging, dismisses OSCE support as inappropriate

MOSCOW. May 26 (Interfax) – Alexander Brod, a member of the Human Rights Council, who also co-chairs of Civil Control, the association of nonprofit organizations protecting voting rights, has concluded on the basis on distance monitoring that the early presidential election in Ukraine was held with violations and the actual exclusion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from the voting process confirm the trend towards the country’s split.

“Effectively, the southeast, or, shall we say New Russia, was pushed out of the voting day. Illegal agitation, voter bribing, and organizational problems took place in other regions. Once again the elections proved Ukraine’s split and the government ignoring the interests of the people in the southeast. These elections cannot be called democratic and universal. The OSCE’s (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) happiness here is inappropriate,” Brod told Interfax on Monday.

“Polling stations were torched and members of election commissions kidnapped on the voting day. There was even a murder of members of election commissions, in particular, in Luhansk,” the expert said.

The association held distance monitoring of the elections, direct monitoring being risky due to the threat of provocations and kidnappings, Brod said.

“The Civil Control Association did not send its mission. There were no security guarantees. They could have banned entry to the country or staged provocations. Possible kidnappings were not ruled out either. Besides, examples of kidnappings, especially of journalists, abound. We held distance monitoring based on the activity of our Ukrainian colleagues – human rights activists, experts, lawyers, who worked practically in all Ukrainian regions,” the Russian human rights activist said.

The association is now completing its analysis of the obtained information and is due to make a statement over the presidential elections in the next 24 hours, he said.

“We are checking facts and waiting for the final summary of the voting results. But at any rate I can say that the elections were held with violations, two Ukrainian regions being excluded from the campaign. Already, we are preparing a statement, first a brief one and a more extended one later. I suppose we shall present it either tonight or tomorrow before noon,” Brod said.