OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine provides Central Election Commission with computers to improve voter lists

KYIV, 4 October 2005 - With parliamentary elections due in March 2006, the Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday began distributing computer equipment and software to local working groups dealing with voter registration throughout Ukraine.

The computer equipment, which was provided within the framework of the Plan of Co-operation between the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine (PCU) and the CEC, will be used to establish reliable voter lists.

More than 1,700 computers, 850 printers, 29 servers and additional accessories will be distributed.

"This shows the strong commitment on the part of the CEC to promptly follow-up on the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights," said Ambassador James Schumaker, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

Yaroslav Davydovych, Chairman of the CEC, the state body responsible for conducting elections in Ukraine, said: "This initiative will assist the CEC in the establishment of reliable voter lists, within the timeframe set out in Ukrainian legislation, which will serve as the basis for a future voter register."

The project was carried out with financial support from the European Commission Delegation to Ukraine, the Swedish International Development and Co-operation Agency (SIDA), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the governments of Finland, Norway and the United States of America.

In assisting the Ukrainian Government through projects undertaken within its competencies, the PCU supports the election process in a non-partisan and objective manner. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is the institution responsible for election observation within the OSCE.