UCC calls on Canada to support Ukraine’s democracy
Presidential, Parliamentary Elections to be held in 2019
October 26, 2018. OTTAWA. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) calls on the Government of Canada to continue to support Ukraine’s democracy heading into presidential and parliamentary elections in 2019.
“The upcoming elections in Ukraine will be critical to Ukraine’s democratic development,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, First Vice President of the UCC. “We call on Canada to take a leading role in the international community in assisting Ukraine to ensure that these elections meet internationally recognized democratic standards.”
The UCC recommends that the Government of Canada provide Canadian expertise and support in:
- Cybersecurity to ensure the protection of electoral and campaign infrastructure from cyber attacks;
- Countering disinformation and manipulation of news on the upcoming elections;
- Ensuring the right to vote of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
Canada has a long and successful track record of bilateral election observation missions in Ukraine – deploying bilateral missions to the 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2014 elections. The UCC calls on the Government of Canada to field a substantial, fulsome and robust bilateral election observation mission, with a suitable number of long and short-term election observers to observe the entire electoral cycle, campaign, immediate election period, and post-election period.
To view the full briefing note on the UCC’s recommendations to the Government of Canada regarding the upcoming elections in Ukraine, please see here
Ukraine’s presidential elections are scheduled for late March 2019, and parliamentary elections are scheduled for late October 2019.