Dear Mr. President!

We appeal to You as for the Head of the state and guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine, rights and freedom of the man and citizen observance, due to disturbance of the destiny of the Motherland, which we consider is in danger (first of all, through incapacity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine).

We support Your intentions to change the legislation on election both to local councils and to Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. We consider, that the proportional system, applied since 2006, of choices with voting behind the party lists in a nation-wide district (i.e. – closed lists) has resulted in parliamentarism destruction in Ukraine, actually having deprived our citizens of the right to select the representatives and to Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and to local councils, about what Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe in time warned, having accepted in April, 2007 the appropriate Resolution "Functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine" 1549 (2007) (the copy of the Resolution is enclosed).

During January-June, 2009 Crimea Institute of Society Transformation organized round tables “Providing reformation into local government and electing legislature in Ukraine in accordance with European integration”, with participation of Ukrainian mayors and head of villages in 23 areas of Ukraine and Autonomic Republic of Crimea. As results of these measures in July, 2009 in Kiev there were called First All-Ukrainian National Assembly of the leaders of local communities and public organizations, which have ratified the decision on urgent necessity of reforming of electoral system of Ukraine and reduction it in conformity with the requirements of the Resolution 1549 (2007).

As far as chiefs of political parties, which are submitted in Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, elected for the closed party lists, do not answer our appeals, we repeatedly addressed to a the presidency of Council of Europe, PACE, Venice Commission with the request to consider the problem concerning default by Parliament of Ukraine of the Resolution 1549 (2007), accepted at discussion, in Ukraine behind urgent procedure. However presidency of the European institutions does not react to the references of Ukrainian not-governmental organizations and public figures and does not use the appropriate effective measures.

We appeal to You, as the Head of the state and candidate in the Presidents of Ukraine, which purpose are returning Ukraine to the European Community, to address to Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe with the request to affect achievement by the Ukrainian Parliament of the Resolution "Functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine" 1549 (2007), so that evade of the sanctions for its default (deprivation of the vote right of Constant delegation of Ukraine in PACE and probable interruption of Ukraine members in Council of Europe), what stipulated by the Rules of PACE.

Sincerely,

Oleg Soskin,
Coordinator of All-Ukrainian National Assembly
of the Leaders of Local Communities and Public Organizations,
Director of Institute of Society Transformation,
Professor of National Academy of Management


Anatoliy Rakhanskiy,
Member of Ukrainian Parliament of ІІ, ІІІ, ІV calling,
Member of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe,
Head of two PACE Committees (1996-2006), Honorable PACE Member