Appointment of new CEC members is the top priority step in terms of electoral legislation reform, as long as uncertainty in the future of current CEC members decreases their interest in long-term planning and improvement of the election administration process.
We remind that 12 of 15 members of the Central Election Commission have had their seven-year term of office expired yet on 1 June 2014. However, their term of office was extended to prevent interruption of the presidential election campaign. Taking into consideration that all the national and local elections have finished, Ukrainian leading citizens and expert organizations call on the President of Ukraine not to evade his duty and appoint new members of the CEC. Thus, we prepared a statement concerning urgency of rotations in CEC membership and started collecting signatures under aPetition to the President concerning appointment of new Central Election Commission members
Leading non-governmental and expert organizations ask Ukrainian citizens to sign the Petition, in order to stop legal nihilism and illegitimate inaction of the President of Ukraine and protect the legitimacy of election processes in Ukraine.
We emphasize, that arguments concerning the factions, which are allegedly not interested in rotation of the CEC members, are groundless because most of the factions and groups have already submitted nominees to a new membership yet in 2015. Besides that, on 16 November 2015, Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine has ruled that inaction of the President of Ukraine, particularly a failure to appoint new members of the CEC, is illegitimate. However, the President hasn't yet executed the court decision.
Appointment of new CEC members has been publicly discussed by politicians and experts for a long time already, but realization of the initiative is being constantly postponed. We would like you to notice that such inaction in regard to appointment of new CEC members undermines the public trust in both collegial body and the election process as a whole. It also questions the legitimacy and independence of the CEC as an election administration body. Postponement of rotation in the CEC questions the ability of higher authorities – the President and the Parliament – to secure implementation of the Constitution, adherence to general European principles of election administration. It is a sign of legal nihilism and private interests standing above the interests of the public.
We call on the conscious Members of Parliament of Ukraine, citizen activists, journalists and active citizens to join the initiative and stand for the CEC new membership, needed for efficient election administration. Take action and sign the Petition!