President Leonid Kuchma promises to ensure honest and democratic presidential elections.
"Everything that depends on the authorities will be done. This concerns both ensuring equal conditions for all candidates and the transparency of the election process itself and the counting of votes," Kuchma said, speaking on Friday before representatives of the diplomatic corps.
At the same time, Kuchma noted that "the character of the pre-election campaign will be determined primarily by the political culture of the opponents," his press service reports.
Kuchma recalled that during the "Ukraine-EU" Summit in Yalta he personally invited EU observers to participate in monitoring the elections and the election campaign. "I expect that observers from the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the CIS and other international organizations will join them," he added.
Kuchma called the presidential elections "a test of the political maturity of Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian political elite."
Addressing the diplomats, Kuchma said: "My only wish is that the perception of Ukraine abroad, which is largely formed under your influence, be as objective as possible, based only on indisputable facts."
"Diplomats, like businesspeople, respect the language of facts. But it is precisely in this critical election year that adherence to the principle of impartiality in assessments is exceptionally important," the president said.
Kuchma quoted Goethe: "It is much easier to find an error than the truth. Error lies on the surface, and you notice it immediately, while truth is hidden in the depths, and not everyone can find it."