MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Civic Chamber is preparing an appeal to the UN and the European Council to postpone the presidential election in crisis-hit Ukraine currently scheduled May 25, the first deputy secretary of the chamber said.
"The Civic Chamber is preparing a formal appeal to the UN and the Council of Europe with a proposal for leading world powers to join diplomatic efforts and try to postpone the presidential elections in Ukraine, until the situation is stable," Vladislav Grib said according to the chamber’s press service.
According to Grib, the Civic Chamber has become convinced that elections would be doomed to vote tampering and in practice will only provoke further escalation of the conflict, when the country is knee deep in bloody clashes with authorities in Kiev being unable to guarantee public safety.
"We will ask all our foreign colleagues to support our proposition, in particular, member countries of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils,” Grib added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitriy Peskov earlier said that it was absurd to talk about the presidential election in Ukraine after Kiev's punitive operation against its own people.
Last week, Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchinov ordered security forces to resume a special operation in the country’s east to crack down on pro-federalization protests that have been spreading across southeastern Ukraine.
Friday’s special op saw the bloodiest violence since the February overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych, with dozens killed in clashes. The highest casualty toll was reported in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, where 46 people died and over 200 were injured. Officials announced a two-day national mourning following the tragedy.
