23/10/2009 President
At the end of his visit to Ukraine, and in view of the forthcoming Presidential election, PACE’s President today recalled the need for free and fair elections to confirm the democratic achievements of the country.
Lluís Maria de Puig welcomed the willingness of the authorities to take into consideration the opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on the Election of the President, as well as the readiness of the authorities to provide support and assistance to the work of the PACE observer delegation.
The President stressed the importance of Ukraine as an indispensable partner to help bring lasting peace and stability to the whole continent and stressed the essential role of the Council of Europe in helping Ukraine to advance on the path to European integration.
The Assembly, he said, stands ready to help Ukraine implement the necessary reforms to improve the functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine, including constitutional reforms.
During his visit, the PACE President met, among others, the President of Ukraine, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
He also took part in the Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy entitled “Electoral systems: strengthening democracy in the 21st century”.