II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 31

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O Senhor Petro Poroshenko foi eleito Presidente da Ucrânia, à primeira volta, com 54.7%; a Senhora Yulia

Tymoshenko obteve 12.8%; e o Senhor Oleh Lyashko 8.3%. A taxa de abstenção rondou os 40%.

O Deputado João Soares anunciou as conclusões dos observadores internacionais tendo afirmado:

“This election proved the democratic spirit of the people of Ukraine, who had the opportunity to genuinely

express their will at the ballot box, and seized it in high numbers. The electoral and security authorities of

Ukraine should be commended for their efforts – under extraordinary circumstances – to facilitate an election

that largely upheld democratic commitments.”

The election was characterized by high voter turnout and the clear resolve of the authorities which resulted

in a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with respect for fundamental freedoms

in the vast majority of the country. This was despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions and

the increasing attempts to derail the process by armed groups in these parts of the country.

The election authorities operated impartially and collegially on the whole, although a number of

transparency issues arose just prior to election day and decisions taken may have been beyond their authority.

The voting and counting process were transparently and largely in line with procedures, despite large queues of

voters at polling stations.

Clearly, the election took place in a challenging political and security environment. But we must stress that

the authorities took genuine efforts to conduct voting throughout the country despite the continued unrest.

The election campaign was subdued and overshadowed by the security developments. Most candidates

were able to campaign without restrictions, except in the two eastern regions. However, there were a number of

incidents such as intimidation and attacks on party and campaign offices, as well as cases where candidates

were obstructed in their campaign.

Electoral preparations in Donetsk and Luhansk were significantly and adversely affected by the security

situation there. Intimidation of election officials, including abductions, death threats and the shooting of a

candidate proxy are just some of the illegal attempts to prevent the election and deny citizens the fundamental

right to vote.

I was pleased to personally visit Odessa, after the tragic events of May 2, and Donetsk city two days ago

and to meet with authorities there and to express my solidarity with their work. I have great admiration for and

applaud the effort of all those officials who tried to continue with their work in spite of the enormous challenges

and risks that they faced.

The remarkable efforts that authorities and voters went to in these regions is a clear message to the

separatist rebels: you cannot win by breaking the rules.

This is a very comprehensive statement and very technical. It is generally very positive. A word that is not in

the statement, but really characterizes what actually happened here. That word is COURAGE, not just

determination, but COURAGE. Courage by the people of Ukraine, courage by the legitimate authorities of

Ukraine, courage by the private citizens, NGOs and journalists. They have saved this country.

This was not the only election that took place yesterday, however. Just to the west of us, and important

election took place to the European Parliament. And, I guarantee you that politicians across the EU are envious

of the high turnout and passion of the Ukraine people that came out to vote here.

Yesterday was critical, but so is tomorrow and the next day. Dialogue between all forces in the country must

continue. Dialogue is the only solution in a democratic state. This election has provided the stability needed for

a clear and forward-looking discussion on Ukraine’s future.”

Assembleia da República, 24 de junho de 2014.

O Assessor Parlamentar, Nuno Paixão.

Anexo: Conclusões da Missão de Observação Eleitoral; News from Copenhagen 523.

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