Who, What, and Why: Ukraine's 2019 Presidential Elections Are Kicking Off
On December 19, Reanimation Package of Reforms in association with the Friends of Ukraine Network (FOUN) Democracy and Civil Society Task Force and the German Marshall Fund of the United States conducted the 3rd meeting of the Transatlantic Task Force on Elections and Civil Society in Ukraine.
The event was focused on Ukraine’s presidential election from the perspective of Kyiv, Washington and Brussels. The discussion brought together three of the leading Ukrainian and international experts in the field, namely Iryna Bekeshkina, Director of Democratic Initiatives Foundation (Kyiv), Svitlana Kobzar, Program Officer for Ukraine and Georgia at the European Endowment for Democracy (Brussels), and Stephen B. Nix, Regional Director for Eurasia at the International Republican Institute (Washington).
Participants examined the latest polling information and examined the key security and reform issues important to the Ukrainian public. The speakers shared their views on the main concerns regarding the conduct of the presidential campaign, particularly populism, corruption, polarization of the political sphere, limited martial law and external aggression from Russia. They also elaborated on the possible role of international actors in supporting efforts by Ukrainians to ensure a free, fair, and open electoral process, once the campaign season starts on December 31.
Full video of the meeting is available here
