Mykola Tomenko: There will be no Democratic Elections on October 31
Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is convinced that despite all the declarations of the President of Ukraine, there is a low probability that democratic local elections will be held in Ukraine. He made this statement in the program on Channel 5, commenting on the declaration of the Head of the State regarding the prohibition to use the lobbying power of the Heads of Regional State Administrations, and his willingness to meet the opposition representatives.
According to M. Tomenko, one should be aware of the fact that the President of Ukraine had two meetings with the Regional State Administrations leaders. "There were formal and informal meetings. We saw, what was prepared for the mass media and foreign organizations. However, at another meetings, the President had conversation with the Regional Administrations Heads as the first numbers in the Party of Regions list of candidates", the Deputy Chairman admitted. He is convinced that the goal was obvious: to gain victory by all means. "It is an absurd, as it is impossible for the people leading the list of candidates to provide fair and democratic elections", he stated.
Mykola Tomenko has also mentioned that it was rather useless to meet the opposition a few days before the elections. "In several regions, a great number of candidates running for mayors and deputies were denied registration. Such pressure has not been exerted on the directors of school and enterprises for a long time", he claimed.
The Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasised that even if the President met the opposition, it would not influence the election process. "It is already apparent that elections in Ukraine will not be fair and democratic. However, the question concerning the extent of falsification remains", the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stated.