President Leonid Kuchma signed a new version of the law On the Elections of People’s Deputies of Ukraine, which was recently passed by Verkhovna Rada, Presidential Press Secretary Ihor Storozhuk told journalists on October 30. Simultaneously, Leonid Kuchma sent a letter to Verkhovna Rada urging lawmakers to make fast-track changes to the law “in order to bring it in conformity with the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.” In his letter, the president pointed to certain inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the law. “Some of the law’s provisions do not fully ensure observance of the provisions of the Constitution and call into question the possibility for the participants of the election process to exercise their rights,” the chief executive stated in his letter. Notably, Pres. Kuchma disagreed with law’s provisions on the procedure for forming district election commissions, restrictions imposed on parties set up less than one year prior to the election, and criteria for defining the validity of the information disseminated by mass media. He also signed an executive order aimed at securing the rights of Ukrainians, principles of a democratic society, along with openness and transparency during the preparation and conduct of the 2002 parliamentary election, reports Interfax Ukraine.
