The resolution on power abuse of the Ukrainian government in local elections will be approved at the next ALDE Congress. This was stated in Sir Graham Watson’s letter, the President of the ALDE Party, which was addressed to the leader of the European Party of Ukraine Mykola Katerynchuk (see the original text below). In particular, Graham Watson asked Mykola Katerynchuk to prepare a corresponding text of the resolution.
This decision was based on the appeal of the leader of the European Party of Ukraine to the President of the ALDE Party that highlighted the attempts to liquidate Kozyatyn regional organization of the European Party of Ukraine in court.
Mykola Katerynchuk informed European colleagues about illegal actions of the authorities against the party regional organization, party activists and future parliamentary candidates from the European Party of Ukraine at local elections. “It is the first time we faced the situation like this over the last 10 years of the European Party of Ukraine existence. On the 6th of September, 2015 Kozyatyn regional organization of the European Party of Ukraine in Vinnytsia region received the corresponding decision of the Vinnitsa Regional Administrative Court about its termination as a legal entity. The decision was made after the local tax inspectorate appealed to the Administrative Court with a proposal to eliminate Kozyatyn regional organization of the European Party of Ukraine. Thus, the local authorities use tax and administrative pressure to remove from the political scene those parties that will be able to compete with the pro-presidential one. Worth mentioning that Kozyatyn region is one of three districts of the 13th electoral district, where we have an exceptional support among the local people”- is said in the appeal.
The leader of the European Party of Ukraine connects this decision and the attempts to eliminate the regional organization with the open critics of the authorities during the last party council week in Vinnytsya. “It is clear that the current government and local authorities both use administrative resources and try to destroy the transparency, openness and democratic procedures for future elections”, – suggested Mykola Katerynchuk and asked Graham Watson, the President of the ALDE Party, to pay a special attention on this problem in order to prevent undemocratic trends. – “We appealed to Ukrainian courts to prevent from the termination of the party regional organisation throughout Ukraine, and we ask the head of the EU delegation in Ukraine Ian Tombinskiy to support us”.
Text of the letter
Press-service of the European Party of Ukraine