EU requires free mass media, political parties in Donbas elections

The EU has specific requirements for how local elections in Donbas are supposed to be held, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the tyzhden.ua news site in an interview published on Dec. 25. The foreign ministers of Germany and France sent the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry a letter with the requirements of free mass media access and participation of political parties on the basis of Ukrainian election law and OSCE criteria, he said.

“They understand that Donbas can’t be frozen like Transnistria,” Klimkin said. “It’s a matter of the European system of security. They certainly realize that these are supposed to be true, legitimate elections.” On the other hand, the Russian government is not ready for a real dialogue, regardless of the pressure placed by the West, he said.

Zenon Zawada: As much as it might be embarrassing to admit, it benefits the Ukrainian government that the Russian-backed terrorists have renewed their shooting activity in recent weeks. The renewed fire gives the government the ability to avoid the highly contentious issue of holding elections in Donbas (and establishing the special status), which are largely opposed by the Ukrainian public based on the terms set by the EU.

Even if the shooting stops, it’s hard to imagine the elections being organized and conducted in accordance with Ukrainian law and international standards, let alone the results being recognized by Kyiv and the Ukrainian public. We don’t think it’s realistic for elections to be held in Donbas at all, and any such attempt will be mired in scandal and will have the potential to ignite mass protests.