ENEMO condemns fake “referenda” held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
ENEMO condemns fake “referenda” held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
The European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) condemns the fake “referenda” held by the self-proclaimed “authorities” of the Russian occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
These “referenda” are illegal and an act of aggression and political manipulation to attempt to legitimize the Russian Federation’s anti-democratic agenda. Ultimately, the goal of holding these pseudo-electoral processes is to force Ukrainian authorities to concede parts of its territories and further damage its territorial integrity, in violation of international law and fundamental rights.
These fake “referenda” were held under conditions which entirely fall short of Ukrainian legislation and international democratic standards, in territories which are in the midst of military occupation. In the absence of legitimacy nor basic pre-conditions for holding this type of electoral process, the results of the vote should not be recognized.
ENEMO calls upon all members of the international community to categorically reject the results of these fake “referenda”, and to hold the self-proclaimed “authorities” who organized them accountable. International support to end the war should continue, and the international community should mobilize additional means to combat electoral manipulations, disinformation and destabilization attempts by Russia in Ukraine and in the region.