OSCE, European Union provide Ukraine's Central Election Commission with IT equipment to establish state voter register

KYIV, 7 April 2009 - The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and representatives of the European Commission handed over IT equipment to the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) today to help create a state voter register.

As part of a multi-donor OSCE PCU project to assist in further strengthening election processes in Ukraine, some 951 computers and 557 multifunctional printers were provided to establish a state voter register and to support the work of 755 voter register maintenance bodies across the country.

"The establishment of a state voter register in Ukraine is a longstanding recommendation of the OSCE. This IT equipment will significantly raise the capacities of the register maintenance bodies to maintain accurate voter databases. The system will in turn improve the quality of the forthcoming Presidential election. However, amendments to election legislation remain critical in this regard," said Lubomir Kopaj, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

Dirk Schuebel, the Head of the Political, Press and Information Section of the European Commission's Delegation to Ukraine said: "The delivery of this equipment, which has been financed by the European Union, will help Ukraine fulfill the commitments it made in the EU-Ukraine Action Plan with respect to democracy and the rule of law, especially on democratically conducting elections."

Zhanna Usenko-Chorna, the Deputy Chairperson of the CEC, added that the equipment would enable the CEC to introduce the new register in time for the upcoming presidential election.

The 1.6 million euros worth of IT equipment was funded by the EU, which supports the OSCE PCU project along with the Canadian International Development Agency, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Irish Aid and the Strategic Programme Fund of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The OSCE PCU supports the election process in a non-partisan and objective manner by assisting the Ukrainian government through appropriate projects. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which observes elections, operates under a separate mandate.