Mr Paweł KOWAL MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU – Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee commented on the annulment of Serhiy Vlasenko’s parliamentary mandate in Ukraine:

Mr Paweł KOWAL MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU – Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee commented on the annulment of Serhiy Vlasenko’s parliamentary mandate in Ukraine:

“I am deeply concerned about the annulment of Serhiy Vlasenko’s parliamentary mandate and recent legal proceedings leading to the possible revokation of other parliamentary seats from Mr Pavel Baloga and Mr Alexander Dombrovski, who were elected in the Verkhovna Rada elections of October 2012. This situation, once again, raises concerns about the selective use of justice in Ukraine. As the Head of the European Parliament’s election observation mission during the parliamentary elections in Ukraine in 2012, I should like to recall that the final report of the EP election observation mission, as well as the final report of the OSCE / ODIHR, drew attention to a number of irregularities during the electoral process.

“The Ukrainian side committed itself to carrying out the appropriate reforms to address these irregularities, as part of their compliance with the conditions for signing the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine.

“I am therefore urging the authorities of Ukraine to make the necessary improvements to the electoral system and to ensure that all those who have been duly elected in October 2012 should be enabled to take up their seats and to fulfill their mandate in the Parliament. Proper implementation of these steps is an essential condition to demonstrate the credibility of the electoral process in Ukraine and the willingness to share European values.”