Observers decry parliamentary vote as

International observers criticized the running of Sunday’s parliamentary election in Ukraine, calling the vote a “step backward” for democracy in the country. In a joint statement yesterday, the parliamentary assemblies of the OSCE, Council of Europe, NATO and the European Parliament said the election was marred by the abuse of administrative resources, lack of transparency in campaign and party financing and lack of balanced media coverage. Observers also noted the influence of powerful economic groups on the political environment had a detrimental effect on the electoral process. A United States state department official said the U.S. shared the concerns, but remained committed to working with Ukraine toward democratic goals. European Union officials, meanwhile, said that their assessment will depend on post-electoral developments including vote tabulation and follow up on complaints.

Brad Wells: The negative tone of the observer’s early election reports sets the stage for an increasing wedge in Ukraine’s relationship with Western countries. Despite Ukrainian officials’ paying lip service to a desire to hold a “free and fair” election, the wide perception both in the country and from observers is that there has been little follow through. The joint statement also noted irregularities in the runup to the election and the fact that two key opposition leaders were banned from participating due to their incarceration for political motives. The observers’ final reports will come out in a matter of weeks and look set to tarnish the government’s commitment to democratic ideals for several years.