President Viktor Yanukovych held a meeting with regional governors dedicated to ensuring fair, transparent and democratic elections to local authorities, according to the Press office of President Viktor Yanukovych.
"I have gathered you to bring up the level of responsibility in you for conducting fair, transparent and democratic elections. We must create all the conditions so that our citizens came to polling places and voted without any administrative intervention," he said, opening the meeting.
The President said the problems that currently exist in the regions, are justified, given the political struggle that continues. "But I would like you to not to blame only the political struggle for them," Viktor Yanukovych said.
Today, the President noted, there are cases where the authorities intervene in the electoral process. "The cases of public officers engaging in politics are unacceptable. It is violation of the law. I would like you to realize that," Viktor Yanukovych said, referring to the regional governors.
He drew their particular attention to the need to provide all the conditions for election campaigning to all the political forces: "We know that on the eve of any election policy politicians do everything possible and impossible to score ratings. Please, create conditions for them. Let them go to people, explain their positions, programs, let the people hear them. Provide premises, where they are needed. We must meet the needs of both the voters and any political forces. We must make no difference between political colors. The most important thing is the law and the rule of law. There must be no political expediency."
Viktor Yanukovych noted that he had consultations with leaders of different political parties on the subject. "Next week, I plan to meet with representatives of both the majority and minority in the Parliament to hear them out. We must do all we can to create all the conditions in accordance with the law. We must avoid cases, when a head of district or regional administration refused to solve an issue of a political party.”
The President instructed the regional governors to conduct meetings with representatives of all political forces: "Hear them out and remove all the questions if there are any," Viktor Yanukovych stressed.
"Our elections should be democratic and free. We must create all the conditions for voters to come to the polling stations on 31 October and vote. Address people in the regions with the invitation to come to vote, ask them to do so. Please, organize this work," he said.
The President stressed that every regional or district governor must clearly observe the Law on Local Elections. "You must observe that law. Please remember that I will immediately respond to any violations," Viktor Yanukovych warned, adding that courts and law enforcement agencies would also work in that direction.
"Your task, besides providing proper warm rooms for vote, is to create equal conditions for all the political parties participants of the electoral process. This is my request. And it will be a test for the government that we must pass," summed up the President.
