TI welcomes emergence of corruption as key issue in Ukraine's election

Transparency International today welcomed the emergence of corruption as an issue in Ukraine's presidential election, to be held on 21 November.

"We are pleased to see that candidates recognise the importance of tackling corruption in Ukraine," said Miklos Marschall, Director of the Europe and Central Asia Department at the Transparency International Secretariat. "We call on whoever wins the election to make the fight against corruption a priority. Corruption is a serious obstacle to democratic reform in Ukraine." Transparency International (TI) is the world's leading non-governmental organisation engaged in combating corruption.

The second round of the election will be held on Sunday after no clear victor emerged in the first round. Ukraine is perceived to be one of the most corrupt economies in the world. In TI's Corruption Perceptions Index 2004, Ukraine scored 2.2 out of a clean score of 10; this placed it in position 122 out of 146 countries surveyed.

TI also urged that the elections be conducted in a free and fair manner. "Fighting corruption requires strong political will combined with the legitimacy that can only be obtained through free and fair elections," Marschall said.

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