Ukrainians can be proud that the latest presidential elections were free and competitive, the Election Observation Mission of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) has said.

"The Ukrainian people should be proud of this election, especially because of the problems Ukraine is facing now. I'm thinking about the conflict with Russia …. Here the elections conducted were free and competitive…. This shows that Ukraine is moving in the right direction," Head of ENEMO Election Observation Mission to Ukraine Zlatko Vujovic said in Kyiv on Tuesday at a press conference after the first round of presidential elections.

He added that there were "smears in the campaign, a lot of black PR."

"But on Election Day… most things were done in accordance with legislation and expectations," he said.