The local elections in Ukraine that took place from 22 to 26 October 2015 have been closely monitored by the Council of Europe Congress, who deployed its largest ever mission to observe these elections – including also 12 members from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and four from the European Committee of the Regions, all in all 57 observers from 25 countries.
During the last CIVEX commission meeting, the election observation report on Ukraine was presented by the Congress Vice-President and Head of the delegation, Ms. Gudrun Mosler- Törnström, who thanked EA member and CoR member of the delegation, Stewart Maxwell, MSP, for his active involvement throughout the mission.
These local elections were considered the starting point of decentralisation and territorial reform in Ukraine and the final report shows that despite difficult circumstances and some irregularities, they were organised in an overall satisfactory manner. Nevertheless, a highly complex legal framework adopted shortly before the elections, the presence of powerful oligarchs' groups and shortcomings of the media landscape in Ukraine, prove that additional efforts are needed in order to further enhance a truly democratic electoral process.
The members of the observation mission underlined the need for a depoliticized public administration and a continued fight against corruption to enhance Ukraine's commitment towards structural reforms and decentralization. The Committee of the Regions, through the Ukraine Taskforce is cooperating with and offering support and expertize to the local and regional authorities in Ukraine in their reform process.
