Democracy Watch, 2012 - Issue 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 16, 2012 -- Ukrainian democracy takes a nosedive

The 2011 Democracy Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit holds Ukraine in 79th place out of 167 countries; a 12 rank drop from 2010. The index is based on indicators categorised into five key areas: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture. Ranked countries are rated from full democracies to flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes. Ukraine’s 2010 and 2006 positions, 67th and 52nd respectively, placed Ukraine among the world’s flawed democracies. The 79th position on the current index means Ukraine is now a hybrid regime. Russia, though possessing a lower overall 2010 position of 107th, has experienced a drop in 2011 to 117th, which, although not as severe a fall as Ukraine’s 2011 result, secures Russia’s position in the authoritarian regimes category(1).

British experts have stated that support for democracy within the population has fallen in Ukraine as well as in 10 other Eastern European countries. Ukraine seems o have undone many of the democratic achievements brought about by the Orange Revolution, such as free elections, free mass media and an unprejudiced attitude among the authorities towards opposition. The sentencing and imprisonment of Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko is considered an example of abusing the judicial system to promote political interests(2). If this trend continues Ukraine is bound join the category of authoritarian regimes along side Russia, Nigeria, Jordan, Morocco and Ethiopia.
(1) http://podrobnosti.ua/society/2011/12/25/811585.html
(2)http://news.dt.ua/POLITICS/the_economist_ukrayina_za_yanukovicha_zalishila_spisok_demokratichnih_derzhav-94530.html

People First Comment: Not only has Ukraine fallen 12 places in the 2011 Democracy Index it is in the unenviable position of recording the 6th highest fall in all the 128 countries surveyed as the following table indicates.

Highest falls in democratic standards 2008 to 2010
Rank Country Fall Background
1 Madagascar 1.63 Military Coup

2 Iran 0.89 Authoritarian Islamic regime
3 Ethiopia 0.84 Civil war
4 Egypt 0.82 Regime now overthrown by public protest
5 Gambia 0.81 Authoritarian quasi military regime
6 Ukraine 0.67 Dysfunctional political system

It should also be noted that Ukraine had the highest fall in democratic standards in the whole of Eastern Europe and that includes Russia where the fall was only 0.22.

Deeper analysis of the report indicates that during this period some parts of the Ukrainian democratic system faired very well with the election process and pluralism ranking equal to that of the USA and civil liberties equal to that of Argentina which is one of the highest in South America, however in the three other categories of the functioning of government, political participation and political culture Ukraine scored badly and on par with Peru, Paraguay and Serbia.

This report is really a reflection of the former government rather than that of today so it is hardly surprising that the results have unfolded as they have bearing in mind the political chaos of the period. What will be interesting is next years ranking which will give a clear picture of the impact of the Yanukovych Presidency on democracy in Ukraine as by current standards we can anticipate an even more impressive decline.


Ukrainian justice system has finalised its decision in Tymoshenko's case

In the final week of 2011 Kyiv Appeal court issued a decision to overturn the appeal against the sentence brought upon Yuliya Tymoshenko. The imprisoned ex-Prime Minister is to continue serving a 7-year sentence for overseeing gas deals that lost the state 1.5 bln UAH (almost 200 mln USD). The decision by Kyiv Appeal court has only strengthened criticism from Ukraine’s intellectual elite who have for some time chastised the authorities for allegedly destroying democracy, the foundations of justice and human rights as well as Ukraine’s hopes for European integration. On the delivery of the decision Yuliya Tymoshenko thanked her supporters in Ukraine and abroad(3). The following step in this case will be a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights that is preliminarily set for March 2012.

This final court decision in Tymoshenko's case has provoked a distinctly negative reaction from the international community. The US Department of State immediately pronounced its disappointment with Tymoshenko's sentencing and the ongoing violations of the principles of democracy and supremacy of law in Ukraine. It also expressed hopes that the Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister would be released from prison and allowed to participate in the parliamentary elections in autumn 2012(4). The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised the decisions taken by Ukrainian justice system, describing them as rash and not compliant with rights for defence. Catherine Ashton, High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also emphasized the defects of Ukrainian justice. Finally, the Ukrainian World Congress expressed its concerns with Tymoshenko's trial, specifically stating that it did not comply with international standards for justice and independence(5). Thus, Yuliya Tymoshenko's case remains one of the principal reasons for Ukraine's worsening international relations.
(3) http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2011/12/26/6868005
(4) http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/news_in_brief/2011/12/111228_ko_usa_tymoshenko.shtml
(5) http://tyzhden.ua/News/38906

People First Comment: The decision to jail Yulia Tymoshenko must go down as one of the greatest political blunders of the 21st Century. In one stroke the Presidential administration have totally destroyed the President’s entire national and international credibility and turned him and his administration into a pariah. In addition they have clearly demonstrated to the world at large that they are not going to take any notice of internationally recognised legal due process or the rule of law and that has now set the tone not only for this Presidency but also for the nation as a whole. The problem is that his administration would appear to neither care nor even

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