European politicians criticize Kyiv election postponement

European politicians criticized the May 30 ruling of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court that set the elections for the Kyiv City Council and its chair for 2015 instead of this year, which would have conformed with term limits. Member of European Parliament Michael Gahler called the ruling “a classic case of a dependent court and its readiness to serve the government.” Ukraine’s judiciary isn’t independent, having more of a Soviet than European mold, he told the Deutsche Welle news service. Viola von Cramon, a Bundestag MP, said the ruling “was a big mistake, which sends a very bad signal to all democratic institutions and elected councils in Ukraine.” While Ukrainian leaders are trying to convince Europe that their country is ready for the Association Agreement, events in the capital are violating Ukraine’s democratic obligations. “If you want to join Europe, ensure that the elections in Kyiv occurr as soon as possible,” she told Deutsche Welle.

Zenon Zawada: As we’ve pointed out, it’s the series of minor violations of European values (that is, minor as compared to the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko) that is making the difference in shaping the opinion of EU leaders. The administration of President Viktor Yanukovych could have won over the Europeans by behaving well on the day-to-day, relatively minor political matters. Instead, offenses to European values such as delaying the Kyiv elections and throwing enemies out of parliament have turned off the Europeans, who will need an even bigger concession (such as Tymoshenko’s release) to be convinced of Ukraine’s commitment to the Association Agreement. As a consequence of its own actions, the Yanukovych administration has kept the likelihood of signing the Agreement below 50/50.