Ukraine: OSCE observers say election coverage saw ‘misuse of state resources‘

W/S OSCE observers press briefing
SOT, George Tsereteli, President of OSCE PA: "[inaudible] media monitoring results indicate that overall monitored private channels provided imbalanced and biased coverage of the two candidates. During the second round, our dear colleagues observed and were informed that misuse of state resources continued both at the national and local level."
M/S Audience
C/U Cameras
SOT, Doris Barnett, OSCE PA: "Despite the many concerns we had, also regarding potential violence, election day was again well administrated and without any disturbances. The Ukraine people deserve praise for their conduct and their obvious will to use their democratic rights."
M/S Audience
C/U Woman listening
SOT, Rebecca Harms, European Parliament member: "My feeling is that in these elections, voters really sent a signal against the old political players, the old political class of Ukraine. And it was also an expression of mistrust in more people than only Petro Poroshenko. It is my impression and I would be happy if there would be a process among those politicians to think about this signal by such a huge number of Ukrainians."
M/S Audience
SOT, Rebecca Harms, EP: "Yesterday's vote is first and foremost a victory of the Ukrainian people. The election was conducted in a peaceful and orderly fashioned, paving the way for a democratic transition of power in the presidency."
W/S OSCE observers press briefing
SCRIPT
Observers from the Organsation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said that media coverage of the Ukrainian elections second round was 'imbalanced' and 'biased' at a press conference in Kiev on Monday.
The preliminary assessment was presented by the head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, George Tsereteli, who served as the special coordinator for the short-term observers' mission.
"During the second round, our dear colleagues observed and were informed that misuse of state resources continued both at the national and local level," Tsereteli said.
Despite this, election day was "well administrated and without any disturbances. The Ukraine people deserve praise for their conduct and their obvious will to use their democratic rights," according to Doris Barnett, a German MP.
Another German MP, Rebecca Harms, said: "Yesterday's vote is first and foremost a victory of the Ukrainian people. The election was conducted in a peaceful and orderly fashioned, paving the way for a democratic transition of power in the presidency."
The international mission included 685 observers from 44 countries.
The winner of the presidential elections, comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, won some 73.21 percent of the votes. In the second round of voting, he was supported by almost 13.5 million Ukrainians.
The outgoing president Petro Poroshenko received fewer than 4.5 million voters (24.46 percent).
Turnout was 61.37 percent, according to the Ukrainian election commission.