Free and fair elections in Ukraine

Press release by the Fidesz-KDNP delegation to the European Parliament

The Ukranian elections will be held July 21, marking an important milestone for the 150 thousand-strong Hungarian community in the region of Transcarpathia. The Central Election Commission ruled out their request to form an independent voting district, as was the case in the 2014 elections. This decision has significant impact on the future of local Hungarian politicians, worsening their odds to be elected to the Verkhovna Rada. The two major Hungarian representative bodies have decided to run together to combat this decision and thereby improve their chances of being elected to the legislative body. 

The Fidesz-KDNP delegation to the European Parliament calls on every eligible voter to participate in the upcoming votes and support the Hungarian representatives running in the Transcarpathia region. The outcome of the elections will have great influence on the everyday life of the Hungarian community, and losing representation could bring inestimable consequences.

The Fidesz-KDNP delegation to the European Parliament condemns in the strongest possible terms the increasing number of irregularities taking place in election campaigns: the purchasing of votes, the presence of fake candidate names on the ballot, and the intimidation of local residents and ethnic Hungarian candidates. These acts are incompatible with the values the European Union stands for, and with which Ukraine wishes to closely align itself. The delegation would like to express their hope that the elections will uphold the basic tenets of democracy and that there will be Hungarian representatives elected to the Verkhovna Rada.

“We call upon the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the integrity of the electoral process and equal chances and furthermore to prevent the falsification of the results and illegal acts,” said Tamás Deutsch, head of the Fidesz-KDNP delegation to the European Parliament.