Volodymyr Lytvyn: These Elections failed to become the Time for discussing the Local Self-Government Issues
Asked about the progress of the election campaign to the local authorities, Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated, "The issue apparently concerns not the elections themselves, but the post-election period." The Head of the Parliament believes that "it is a more important issue, as these were the local elections by form, but the continuation of the presidential campaign, an intermediate stage of preparation for the parliamentary elections, by content."
V.Lytvyn admitted, "These elections failed to become the time for discussing the local self-government issues." "Pressing problems of the Ukrainian politicians in Kyiv have been discussed, while the matters of regional policy and local authority organization have been neglected," he stressed. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine claims that it is the local authorities that "failed to complete amending of the Constitution, for the local residents to assume authorities and bear responsibility for the efficient local work."
V.Lytvyn also stated that it was the first time that Ukrainian society faced the ballot strike. He believes that "it is a signal for the authorities that our society and Kyiv are following parallel ways." "In the past, the elections would have been denounced, as only 49% of the voters polled", he stressed. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also drew attention to the "queues at the polling stations that hindered voting, and the lack of explanatory materials."
The Head of the Parliament attaches great importance to the method of authority organization and its efficiency. "The election campaign proved the lack of the dialogue concerning the organization of life in Ukraine," he admitted.