Ukraine election commission selects presidential ally as its chair

Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) voted on July 6 to elect Mykhailo Okhendovskiy as its new chairman, two days after Ukraine’s parliament voted to dismiss his predecessor Volodymyr Shapoval, who reached the retirement age of 65. Okhendovskiy’s candidacy earned 11 out of 14 votes. He has served on the CEC since 2004 and is most distinguished for serving as the CEC’s lawyer when Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled to order a revote of the 2004 fraudulent election results.

Ukraine’s opposition parties responded with criticism, alleging that Shapoval’s dismissal and Okhendovskiy’s election occurred in violation of regulations. “The government already today is casting doubt on the transparency and legality of the future presidential elections and the legitimacy of its results,” said a press release from the UDAR party led by Vitali Klitschko.

Zenon Zawada: Okhendovskiy is a trusted ally of President Viktor Yanukovych and the ruling Party of Regions. What’s more revealing about the vote is that it gained the support of the majority of CEC members, revealing the Presidential Administration influence. If the CEC was an independent organ, it would not have selected as its chair someone as biased as Okhendovskiy.

Most of the commissioners’ terms will conclude in June 2014, including Okhendovskiy’s, but they are likely to gain reappointment, particularly when casting such votes that satisfy the Presidential Administration. The first test for Okhendovskiy and his colleagues will be the revote set this year for seven parliamentary election districts, which will be closely watched by the European Union (EU) leadership. Yet the opposition is correct in stating that Okhendovskiy’s election already casts a pall over the 2015 presidential vote.