A public discussion "Real electoral reform: algorithm of actions" will be held on 22 January 2015 in the Osvitnia Stantsiia 31V1 (31-v-1 Pushkinska St., Kyiv city) at 11:00-15:00. The discussion is organized by the Civil Network OPORA in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Internews-Ukraine and the Committee of Voters of Ukraine. MPs of Ukraine, members of the CEC, leading election law experts, representatives of political parties and NGOs, diplomatic missions and international organizations are invited to the event. The participants will discuss the process of reforming electoral legislation and content of amendments. In order to secure long-lasting efficiency of the reform, the election system should be amended professionally and these amendments must be politically deliberated.
As it is already known, on 21 November 2014, 5 of 6 political parties, which overcame 5% threshold, have signed the Coalition Agreement securing introduction of electoral system with open lists for parliamentary elections yet in the I quarter of 2015. At the same time, the newly-elected Parliament still doesn't have mechanisms to secure transparent reforming process with involvement of all interested parties and consideration of negative experience of 2011 and 2013, when parliamentary election law was amended through manipulations.
We invited to the discussion:
- Oksana Syroid, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;
- Ruslan Kniazevych, Head of the VRU Committee on Judicial Policy and Justice;
- Zhanna Usenko-Chorna, Deputy Head of the Central Election Commission;
- Pavlo Petrenko, the Minister of Justice of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Chernenko, MP of Ukraine;
- leading electoral law experts, representatives of parliamentary factions in the Verkhovna Rada, representatives of political parties and NGOs, diplomatic missions and international organizations.
To participate in the event, you need to register until 19 January 18:00 and receive organizers' approval: http://goo.gl/bc8uDC