Andrea Joy Campbell: “as co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission and the sponsor of the 2002 Senate-passed resolution urging the Ukrainian…”

“as co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission and the sponsor of the 2002 Senate-passed resolution urging the Ukrainian Government to ensure a democratic, transparent and fair election process in advance of their parliamentary elections, I find recent developments relating to upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine deeply troubling. Ten months before these critical elections, a constitutional amendment is making its way through the Ukrainian parliament designed to ensure that the current, corruption riddled powers-that-be retain their grip on power, neutralizing the leader of the biggest democratic fraction in parliament and Ukraine's most popular politician, Victor Yushchenko. The amendment calls for abbreviating the presidential term for the October 2004 elections to 2 years, with the election of a president by the parliament in 2006, notwithstanding opinion pools indicating that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians support preserving direct presidential elections. This amendment had been approved by Ukraine's Constitutional Court in a decision which has led many observers both within and outside of Ukraine to question the independence of the court. The court's decision a few weeks ago to allow President Kuchma to run for a third term, despite the 1996 constitution's 2-term limit, has only raised more questions.…”