|
|
|
|
Election Observers Needed in UkraineUCCA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL ELECTION MONITORS Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled that the results of the November 21st presidential runoff vote were invalid. The Supreme Court ordered the Central Election Commission to "repeat the second round" of voting with the 2 candidates who emerged after round 1 held on Oct. 31, 2004 - Victor Yushchenko and Victor Yanukovych. The exact date of the run-off has not been confirmed, but following the letter of the law of "repeating the second round" of elections the date would be in three weeks - thus making it Sunday, December 26, 2004. We do not want to provide you with inaccurate information or with false hope, since we cannot confirm with certainty that additional election monitors will be registered with the CEC or that previously issued accreditations will be valid. Nonetheless, with the understanding that many details are still unknown, those interested in serving as a member of UCCA's Delegation of International Election Observers, please click on link below and fill out the form as soon as possible. We will continue to post all updates in this regard on our website. We thank all those who volunteered to serve as International Election Observers in the previous two rounds of elections and urge our community and friends to help Ukraine conduct free and fair elections in the next round. Your participation in this process can make a difference! Click here: Observer Application Ukrainian Elections 2004 Click here: Ukrainian Congress Committee of America - You and Ukraine UKRAINE NEEDS YOU !
What's Involved
To be an effective observer, you should try to arrive in Ukraine about 1 week before the election and stay for 3 days after the election. For those already in Ukraine, plan to spend about 3 days before and 2 days after the election in the region where you will be posted. A training session will be organized for observers before the election (most likely in Kyiv, possibly in Canada too - we will inform you). Observers should try to bring with them a video camera, digital / photo camera, flashlight, and mobile phone that will work in Europe (tri band or GSM 900/1800 - this is different than most cell phones in North America), with extra film, batteries, etc. If you don't have some of these things, our local team will try to provide them for you. The days before the election will require preparatory work and visiting of the Territorial Election Commission (TEC) and some polling stations. On election day you will start at 7 am and travel to about 10 different polling stations in your region. In the evening you will be assigned to a polling station for the counting of ballots, which takes several hours, often until early morning. Then you follow the ballots and documents to the TEC, where the results are entered into a computer. After the election, you will be asked to record your observations, provide evidence of violations, etc. Be prepared to get little sleep for 1-2 days during the election. More information and details will be provided during the training session. It's really a lot of fun - ask those who have done it before. The groups we are trying to organize will primarily be posted to regions of Ukraine that had significant violations in past rounds - oblasts we are targeting include Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizzhya, Kirovohrad, Odessa, Kherson, Mykolayiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Crimea. Those from overseas should not expect this to be a party trip to visit relatives in Ukraine - you will be out in one of these regions for a few days to a week. If you have a preference for any of the listed regions, please note it in your application, although it cannot be guaranteed. Costs and Logistics
Visas - you will need a valid visa to travel to Ukraine. Apparently, these are available for free from the Ukrainian Embassy or consulate nearest you, only after you are registered with the CEC. So the sooner you register with UCC, we will register you with the CEC and the easier this should be. However, PLEASE contact your local Ukrainian Embassy or consulate AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to ask them if visas are still available for free for observers and how long this will take. You might need to purchase a visa if time is short. Please contact the UCC for more information. Flights - given the holiday season, please make flight reservations as soon as possible. However, please contact the UCC to confirm your registration and participation before you pay for your flight. When and How to Register
Ostap Skrypnyk, Executive Director
Yarema Shulakewych If you were an observer for one of the first two rounds, it is very likely that your accreditation will be valid for round three. Please complete only the UCC form and submit it so that we know you are interested and can contact you to verify the validity of your observer card. If you can't come to Ukraine, you can still participate - feel free to contribute to help raise funds and cover costs for election monitors. Depending on your location, please get in touch with the UCC contacts listed below to make a donation. Contact information
|
|