OSCE, EP mission reiterate that Ukrainian IDPs must be able to vote

09:56, 27.10.2015 1 min read

European and international observes who monitored the local elections in Ukraine have advised the country to ensure that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are able to fully exercise their right to a vote.

Head of the OSCE/ODIHR mission Tana de Zulueta said at a press conference in Kyiv that this issue was a topic for discussion before the elections were held on October 25, however the issue remains open until respective legislation is taken to address this concern.

Head of the European Parliament (EP) Election Monitoring Mission MEP Andrej Plenkovic said that over 5 million Ukrainian citizens could not take part in the voting due to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the temporary occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by Russia-backed illegal armed groups.

"The IDPs should be able to exercise their voting rights in their place of origin at upcoming elections in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and in a secure environment," he said.