Ukrainian Parliament prohibits Russian observers from monitoring Ukrainian Presidential elections
On Thursday, February 7, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada adopted Bill Number 9524 prohibiting Russian citizens from participating as observers in the elections. The bill was supported by 232 People's Deputies.
"The representatives of the occupying country that has waged war against Ukraine for five years have no legal or moral rights to come to us. We cannot even imagine who these observers could be. They could be saboteurs, provocateurs,” said Anna Hopko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, and Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs.
"Firstly, Russia should learn to respect our sovereignty. We will restore our territorial integrity. Then, we will talk differently," she added.
People's Deputy of Ukraine Volodymyr Ariev responded, "Armenian observers never go to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani observers never go to Armenia because there is a conflict between the countries." He is convinced that the Verkhovna Rada’s decision fully complies with international law.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that it will not register observers from Russia in the Ukrainian presidential elections. Last week, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin expressed hope that the Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission would make the same decision. a
Klimkin also stated that having Russian observers in the presidential elections in Ukraine is politically, legally and morally wrong.