[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 118 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1595]]
              INTRODUCTION OF UKRAINE ELECTIONS RESOLUTION

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 23, 2007

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, as Chairman of the Helsinki 
Commission I rise to introduce a concurrent resolution which addresses 
the current political uncertainty in Ukraine, a country of strategic 
importance to the United States. My resolution urges all sides to abide 
by the agreement signed by Ukraine's leadership on May 27th, providing 
for a new round of parliamentary elections to be held on September 
30th, and encouraging the holding of these elections in a free, fair 
and transparent manner in keeping with Ukraine's commitments as a 
participating State of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe.
  I have just returned from Ukraine which hosted the 16th annual 
Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE. While in Kyiv, I met with President 
Yushchenko and other prominent Ukrainian officials. My colleagues and I 
received assurances from Kyiv that Ukraine would not backtrack on the 
path to political reform and good governance.
  Ukraine's current political conflict is the result of the ongoing 
power struggle that President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister 
Viktor Yanukovich have been engaged in since Yanukovich became Prime 
Minister last August. Rooted in hastily conceived constitutional 
reforms, the ongoing power struggle threatens to undermine Ukraine's 
hard-fought and substantial democratic gains, especially those won 
since the 2004 Orange Revolution.
  On April 2nd, President Yushchenko issued a decree dissolving the 
Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, asserting that the Prime 
Minister was attempting to monopolize power by forming a veto-proof 
parliamentary majority through illegal means, and called for new 
parliamentary elections. The parliament refused to disband and 
questioned the legality of the presidential decree. After several weeks 
of tension and standoff, violence was averted and an agreement was 
reached: President Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yanukovich and 
Parliamentary Speaker Moroz came together in support of holding pre-
term parliamentary elections at the end of September.
  Madam Speaker, it is important to recognize that Ukraine has made 
genuine democratic gains since the Orange Revolution. The December 2004 
presidential vote was hailed as a stirring example of the triumph of 
peaceful protest and democratic ideals. Just over a year ago, as head 
of the OSCE-led International Election Observation Mission to Ukraine, 
I was pleased to declare that country's parliamentary elections were 
also free and fair. I am pleased that Ukraine has once again invited 
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to observe the September 30 elections. 
Moreover, Ukraine for the last two years has been designated by Freedom 
House as a ``free'' country, in contrast to the ``partly free'' 
assessment it held during its first 13 years of independence.

  Nevertheless, democratic institutions and the rule of law in Ukraine 
are still emerging and lacking in their ability to safeguard democratic 
gains. It is this fragility, especially the lack of constitutional 
clarity in delineating the separation of powers that made it possible 
for the power struggle to ripen into a full-blown political crisis in 
recent months. However, it is heartening to see that more serious 
turmoil was averted through careful and constructive dialogue and 
capped by an agreement involving the country's leading political 
figures.
  First and foremost, my resolution calls for the leadership and 
political parties of Ukraine to abide by the May 27th agreement and 
conduct elections as scheduled for September 30th. The dispute between 
the president and prime minister must be resolved in a manner 
consistent with Ukraine's democratic values and national interest, and 
in keeping with its OSCE commitments.
  Madam Speaker, prolonged political uncertainties regarding the 
government's delineation of powers is clearly not in Ukraine's 
interest, and that nation's political leaders need to stand together in 
support of free, fair and transparent elections as a way out of the 
current impasse. While democratic elections will not, in and of 
themselves, resolve all of the challenges facing Ukraine in 
strengthening the rule of law and delineating power among the branches 
of government, they are a critical stepping-stone in Ukraine's 
democratic consolidation and should serve as a further testament of 
Ukraine's commitment to a democratic future.
  As this resolution underscores, Congress has been a staunch supporter 
of the development of democracy and respect for human rights and the 
rule of law in Ukraine since the restoration of that nation's 
independence in 1991. The consolidation of democracy and the rule of 
law in Ukraine will further strengthen that country's independence and 
sovereignty, enhancing Ukraine's aspirations for full integration with 
the West and serving as a positive model for other former Soviet 
countries. I urge my colleagues to support this timely resolution as a 
demonstration of Congress's interest, concern, and support for the 
Ukrainian people.

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