[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E57-E58]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SLAUGHTER-HOEFFEL-SMITH RESOLUTION ON THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY 
                               ELECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2002

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today I, along with my colleagues Rep. 
Joseph Hoeffel and Rep. Christopher Smith, introduced a resolution 
urging the Government of Ukraine to ensure a democratic, transparent, 
and fair election process leading up to the March 31, 2002 
parliamentary elections.
  In April 2001, 1 was troubled to learn about the Ukrainian 
Parliament's vote to remove reform-minded Prime Minister Viktor 
Yushchenko. This change in government came in the midst of the ongoing 
political turmoil resulting from allegations over the involvement of 
President Leonid Kuchma in the

[[Page E58]]

case of murdered journalist Heorhiy Gongadze. Meanwhile, reports of 
government corruption and harassment of the media have raised concerns 
about the Ukrainian government's commitment to democratic principles. 
As a founding member and Co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian 
Caucus, I have spoken out for a more democratic Ukraine and expressed 
my continued concern about the lack of progress in the Gongadze case 
and recent political instability.
  On March 31, 2002, Ukraine will hold its third parliamentary 
elections since becoming independent more than ten years ago. It is 
widely believed that the outcome of the parliamentary elections will 
determine whether Ukraine continues to pursue democratic reforms, or 
experiences further political turmoil. The intent of my resolution is 
to make the Government of Ukraine aware that the U.S. Congress is 
monitoring the conduct of the parliamentary election process closely, 
and will not just be focusing on Election Day results.
  According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) final 
report on Ukraine's most recent national election, the presidential 
election of 1999 was marred by violations of Ukrainian election law and 
failed to meet a significant number of OSCE election commitments. There 
is now concern that the 2002 parliamentary elections will be 
compromised by similar violations. Two recent reports on the 2002 
parliamentary elections released by the Committee on Voters of Ukraine 
(CVU), a leading Ukrainian watchdog group on elections, have cited 
numerous violations in the campaign process.
  My resolution urges the Government of Ukraine to enforce impartially 
the new election law signed by President Kuchma on October 30, 2001, 
which was cited in a OSCE/ODIHR report dated November 26, 2001 as 
making improvements in Ukraine's electoral code and providing 
safeguards to meet Ukraine's commitments on democratic elections. The 
resolution also urges the Government of Ukraine to meet its commitments 
on democratic elections and address issues identified by the OSCE in 
its final report on the 1999 elections, such as state interference in 
the campaign and pressure on the media. Finally, the resolution calls 
upon the Government of Ukraine to allow both domestic and international 
election monitors full access to the parliamentary election process.
  It is my hope that this resolution will send a clear message to the 
Government of Ukraine that the U.S. Congress will not simply rubber 
stamp funding requests for Ukraine without also considering the serious 
issues involved in Ukraine's democratic development. In particular, the 
conduct of the 2002 parliamentary elections will have a major impact on 
funding considerations when Members of Congress are again confronted 
with the task of balancing their support of the U.S.-Ukrainian 
relationship with Ukraine's progress in making democratic reforms.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Slaughter-Hoeffel-Smith 
resolution, and encourage the Government of Ukraine to conduct a 
democratic, transparent, and fair parliamentary election process.

                          ____________________