All-Ukraine referendum impossible on presidential election day

The leadership of the Ukrainian Central Elections Commission (CEC) stated on Wednesday that a referendum on federalisation is impossible neither on May 11 as Ukrainian regions offer nor on May 25 simultaneously with presidential elections. “This is considered impossible from organisational point of view,” deputy chairman of the country’s CEC Andrey Magera said.

“You should have thought about it earlier. It is impossible to organise such events,” he said about the above-mentioned second date. As for May 11 proposed for a local referendum by Donetsk and Luhansk regions in east Ukraine the CEC official noted that “This is illegitimate, because this contradicts the Ukrainian Constitution.” A possible date for a referendum remains on June 15, the voting day in a possible presidential runoff, “if (Ukraine’s parliament) the Verkhovna Rada approves it,” Magera added.

South-eastern Ukrainian regions insist on putting several questions on a referendum, including expansion of regional powers, creation of municipal police, Russian language status, direct local authority elections and independence of regions in the humanitarian sphere. The questions for voting on legislative initiatives have to be formulated finally. A referendum is expected to help ease up social and political tension in south-eastern Ukraine. Still the country’s CEC has closed access to seven sections of the state register of voters in Luhansk Region and another seven sections in Donetsk Region. It is done “with due account of the latest events” referring to continuing confrontation in east Ukraine, Magera added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that before holding elections Kiev should stop a military operation against their own people and find a common language with residents in south-eastern Ukraine who demand a referendum on federalisation.

Amid continuing standoff in Ukraine it is impossible to hold neither legitimate elections nor a referendum, chairman of the State Duma parliament’s lower house committee for constitutional legislation Vladimir Pligin said. He noted that “one of basic constitutional principles - the principle of law supremacy is violated and the local self-government system is actually ruined.”

“To establish order in Ukraine for three weeks left before presidential elections is not an accomplishable task. There are no possibilities for a full-fledged election campaign amid an armed confrontation,” United Russia lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov said.