Ukraine’s Ombudsperson suggests not gathering signatures in Crimea to register new parties

The activists should gather signatures in Crimea and Sevastopol to register a new political party, but it poses the threat to life.

As stated on the website of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ombudsperson received complaints from the citizens about the impossibility to register new political parties because of absence of signatures of Ukrainian citizens from Crimea and Sevastopol. To address this issue, Ombudsperson Valeria Lutkovska appealed to the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

In her appeal, Lutkovska noted that there was an inconsistency between the law of Ukraine on political parties and the law on ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. It violates the right of the citizens to form political parties.

To register a political party, the signatures should be gathered in at least two-thirds of the districts of Crimea and Sevastopol. But these areas are temporarily occupied, they are subject to the special legal regime of crossing, making transactions, holding of elections and referendums, exercising of other rights and freedoms. Gathering of signatures in these areas poses a threat to life and health and is virtually impossible.

“In this context, it should be noted that Article 8 of the abovementioned law stipulates not to organize and not to hold the vote of citizens of Ukraine during the presidential elections, parliamentary elections, referendums. At the same time, the requirement to gather signatures in support of the decision to register a political party remains in force,” reads the appeal of the Ombudsperson.

Lutkovska urged to prevent the violation of the right of association in the political parties and to resolve the issue at the legislative level.

In response, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk instructed to submit the relevant proposals for consideration of the Government.