PACE chief regrets Ukraine's decision to withdraw election observation invitation
Liliane Maury Pasquier, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has expressed regret at the Ukrainian Parliament’s decision to withdraw its invitation to the Assembly to observe the 21 July early parliamentary elections, the PACE official website reported.
Responding to a letter from the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the President said the Assembly had a long practice, going back to 1994, of working with Ukraine on the observation of elections, which had enabled “significant improvements” in the country’s legal framework and electoral practices.
“I have to highlight that Ukraine, as a member of the Council of Europe, is under the monitoring procedure of the Assembly and has the commitment to invite the Assembly to observe presidential and parliamentary elections,” she added.
The President said that she was ready to continue discussions, to improve relations between the Assembly and the Ukrainian Parliament and its PACE delegation.
PACE voted last week to fully restore Russia's voting rights, five years after suspending them following Russia's 'annexation' of Crimea.
As a result, Ukraine and six other countries abandoned the Assembly, citing the necessity of discussing their next steps.