The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Following the Ukrainian presidential election on Jan. 17, two election observation groups issued statements recognizing that the vote was an improvement over the 2004 presidential election. However, the groups urged that the recommendations issued in their reports be adopted before the runoff election in February. The recent vote marks the first presidential election since 2004, which ended in popular protests of the results, known as the Orange Revolution.

Opora, a nonpartisan network of Ukrainian election monitors, issued a report stating it was "pleased" with the high voter turnout and characterized election day as "calm." Opora's statement was based on the reports of the 1,003 domestic observers at polling stations across the country. For the first time in Ukraine, observers were deployed systematically to a representative sample of polling stations, using statistically based observation methodology. This methodology enabled Opora to accurately assess the conduct of the election and project national outcomes. Statistically based observation" methodology produces a statistically accurate and therefore more credible "snapshot" of the quality of an election, just as quantitative data from a representative sample makes accurately forecasting election results nationwide possible.

Viktor Yanukovych led the polls with 35.3 percent, followed by Yuliya Tymoshenko with 25 percent. Neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff election scheduled for Feb. 7.

ENEMO representatives present their findings at a press conference following the Jan. 17 vote in Ukraine.

In addition, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), fielded 450 short-term observers to monitor all stages of the voting process, from the opening of the polls to the vote count itself. ENEMO's report found "significant improvement" in the 2010 presidential poll from the 2004 vote. The report explained that the election environment was generally free of pressure, intimidation or harassment, and there were no reports of the centralized misuse of administrative resources.

Both groups highlighted procedural and organizational problems with the vote, concerning updates made to the voter lists on election day and the uneven enforcement of the provisions regarding mobile voting, or voting from home for medical reasons. Both groups issued recommendations to the Central Election Commission, which include clarifying the mobile voting procedure and unifying the procedure for updating the voter lists.

Under a cooperative agreement with USAID, NDI provided financial and technical assistance to Opora and ENEMO for their observation efforts.

• Opora’s election day report»
• ENEMO's election day report»
• Read Opora's pre-election assessment»
• ENEMO's pre-election assessment»

Pictured above: A representative of Opora presents the group's findings at a press conference after the Jan. 17 vote.

Published on Jan. 19, 2010