The Constitutional Court has, for the second time, declared unconstitutional the provision recently passed which allowed candidates to stand for parliament both on the party candidate lists, and in single-mandate constituencies.

On Monday 9 April the civic movement “CHESNO” will be sending 450 current MPs information requests asking for declarations regarding property; income; expenditure and financial commitments in 2011.

Ms Usenko-Chorna says that a whole range of questions arise regarding the relation between this CCU Judgement and a number of provisions of Ukraine’s Constitution, for example, Article 24 which clearly states that citizens have equal constitutional rights and cannot face restrictions on the basis of their place of residence

The Court has agreed with 59 MPs from the Party of the Regions and prohibited voters abroad from voting in single mandate constituencies. This has ramifications for the number of constituencies and, many believe, the outcome of the elections

Oleksandr Chernenko, Head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine names some of the main dangers facing the electoral process for the parliamentary elections this year

A criminal investigation over “hooliganism”during a peaceful protest action has been initiated against a deputy from the Cherkasy City Council from the opposition Batkivshchyna Party, Mykola Bulatetsky

The Constitutional Court has passed yet another judgement reducing the scope of anti-corruption legislation. On 20 March it published its judgement which allows National Deputies to not make public their expenses for the second half of 2011

The Prosecutor General’s Office has been asked to investigate allegations that school heads in the Zhytomyr region are being forced to use questionnaires regarding their staff’s political preferences

If the Constitutional Court has ruled that a politician’s home is his fortress barricaded from the public by a double wall of metal and the right to privacy, there is no sense arguing. Putting the questions that are begging to be asked is much more efficient

Analysts are critical of the law and point out that the Constitutional Court.has already found one feature unconstitutional, while crucial recommendations from the Venice Commission have been ignored

The Civic Consortium of Electoral Initiatives is concerned by the recent compromise with regard to the law on the election of National Deputies. While some improvements have been made, the mixed system, high threshold for entering parliament and other issues remain major obstacles

Once again, the Ukrainian democrats have “shot themselves in the foot,” helping the Regionnaires to dismantle the last achievement of the Orange revolution: the election system that precluded, more or less successfully, large-scale falsifications and vote buying

On Thursday evening, the Verkhovna Rada passed in full the draft bill on the parliamentary elections with a 50-50 mixed system, a ban on participation in the elections by electoral blocs and a 5% threshold for getting into parliament

The opposition are demanding that the threshold for a party to enter the Verkhovna Rada be no higher than 4% and that no more than 30% of candidates are elected in majority constituencies. The Party of the Regions has made it clear that they’re not budging, whatever the opposition, civic society and the Venice Commission say.

Members of the opposition have prepared 20 amendments to the draft law on the parliamentary elections tabled by the ruling majority, most of which pertain to fundamental provisions. Meanwhile the Party of the Regions is adamant that the mixed electoral system, warned against not only by Ukrainian NGOs, but by the Venice Commission, stands

Prominent civic figures speak out against what they call a "glaring example of imitation of public and specialist dialogue masking the undemocratic aspirations of the Party of the Regions to change electoral legislation so as to receive a guaranteed majority in the next parliament regardless of the real results of the elections."

A resolution was passed on Thursday to create a committee on preparing the draft law on the parliamentary elections. The motion had the support of 383 National Deputies from the 413 registered.

Thomas Markert, Secretary of the Venice Commission says that he only learned of the amendments made by the ruling majority to the election law previously assessed by the Commission on his arrival in Ukraine. Even a superficial perusal suggests that they “create a number of new problems”

Tomas Markert, Secretary of the Commission spoke of numerous concerns which, regardless of assertions from members of the ruling majority, are reiterated by Ukraine’s Consortium of Electoral Initiatives and others

The Civic Consortium of Electoral Initiatives not only reiterates the points of criticism noted by the Venice Commission, including the lack of transparency and consultation with the opposition and the public, but also points out crucial discrepancies between this law and that shown the Venice Commission