During August-September 2007, the Long-term Observation Program for the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is being implemented throughout the territory of Ukraine. The implementer of this Program is the Civil Network OPORA, including in Volyn - in partnership with the Volyn Regional Youth Public Organization "Association of Young Reformers (AMoRe)". The purpose of the Program is to promote the organization and conduct of fair and democratic elections through monitoring of the election campaign and coverage of its results, preparation of recommendations aimed at eliminating and preventing violations. Within the framework of the project, weekly monitoring reports will be prepared and published. Main aspects of monitoring: work of authorities and officials; election commissions; election documentation; violations of election legislation. We address all participants of the electoral process with a call for openness and urge them to facilitate and assist observers of partner organizations and journalists of the publication "Point of Support" in implementing the Program. We also invite submissions of information and facts relating to violations of election legislation. This will contribute to objective coverage of the election campaign and will help to timely record and stop violations of election legislation.

Regional Coordinator of the Program in Volyn Oblast Mykhailo Shelep contacts: tel.(0332)78-82-89, mob.8(067)41-65-086, E-mail: mike.shelep@gmail.com

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Reference: OPORA - an independent All-Ukrainian public organization whose purpose is to influence the improvement of social and political standards.

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Statement Civil Network OPORA has launched long-term observation in 25 regions of Ukraine of the preparation and organization of early elections

The early parliamentary elections - 2007 will become a new test for young Ukrainian democracy. The permanent crises and political instability of recent years have formed not the best reputation for the state of Ukraine in the world community. The citizens-voters themselves, tired of endless political races, are not ready to legitimize the results of early elections in a timely manner. In addition, the struggle of the "dissatisfied" for mandates, of those who are not ready to accept defeat or an unexpectedly small number of seats received in the Verkhovna Rada of the VI convocation, may last dangerously long for Ukraine itself.

The early elections significantly limited political forces in time, and therefore in methods and technologies of the struggle for the voter's voice. Therefore, representatives of state authorities and local self-government, law enforcement structures, courts, etc. may quite predictably become actual participants in the elections.

Also remaining a problem is the imperfection of election legislation, which was somewhat softened by the amendments introduced to the Law of Ukraine "On Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine". In this regard, the Civil Network OPORA carries out comprehensive and systematic monitoring of the pre-election campaign, with the aim of promoting the organization and conduct of fair and democratic elections in Ukraine. The monitoring covers 25 oblasts of Ukraine. It is carried out by 63 long-term observers and more than 50 volunteers of the organization.

The subject of observation is the work of election commissions, public authorities, the activity of subjects of the electoral process and the conduct of campaigning. Particular attention is paid to violations of election legislation and the principles of democratic elections.

The position of the Civil Network OPORA is independent and equidistant from all subjects of the pre-election campaign. OPORA undertakes to submit interim and final monitoring results that will be unbiased, objective and based exclusively on facts. All results of the work of long-term observers will be maximally accessible to voters. The full database will be contained on the OPORA Network website - www.opora.org.ua.

The long-term observation Program is implemented with the assistance of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs with the support of the United States Agency for International Development.

Contact person: coordinator of election programs of Civil Network OPORA Oleksandr Lomako 80503816835.