Council of Europe advises Ukraine to amend bill on local referendums
If a Cabinet of Ministers bill on local referendums is approved in its current wording, there is a very little chance of local referendums being held at all, an analyst of the Council of Europe's program "Strengthening Local Democracy and Support for Local Government Reforms in Ukraine," Gerard Marcou, has said.
A bill on local referendums was presented and discussed in Kyiv on Monday at a roundtable meeting entitled "The Problems of the Legal Regulation of Local Referendums: Ukrainian and Foreign Experience."
Marcou, while analyzing the provisions of the bill, said that one of the best parts of the bill offered for consideration were articles linked to the organization and holding of referendums, as well as the voting procedure.
"These provisions, in my opinion, can ensure the integrity and fairness of the vote, as well as a choice of citizens," he said. He also said that there are some problems. "In the form the bill was filed, there is a very little chance of local referendums taking place."