Within press conference organizers of the project will also announce: list of political parties and electoral blocs that according to the Ukrainian legal system have exceeded the limit of election funds; data analysis of electorate dynamics and its influence on election results; other important election violations.

Monitoring of the political advertisements is provided by the project 'Public Monitoring of Electoral Campaign Financing-2002' which is held within the framework of activity of All-Ukrainian Public Monitor Committee and supported by the International Renaissance Foundation and Canadian Agency for International Development. Monitoring data is provided by company " Ukrainian Mass-Media Monitoring" / Taylor Nelson Sofrez

The monitoring data will be presented by:

• Vladislav Kas'k?v, Coalition Ukrainian Non-government Organizations Freedom of Choice;
• Ivan Sikora, Head of the project 'Public Monitoring of Electoral Campaign Financing-2002' ;
• Ihor Predko, Manager of the project 'Public Monitoring of Electoral Campaign Financing-2002' ;
• Kostyantyn Tkachenko, Executive Director of "Ukrainian Mass-Media Monitoring" / Taylor Nelson Sofrez

For more information, please contact: tel/fax 8-044-461 9022, e-mail: ivan@vybory.org.ua , holy@vybory.org.ua (Iryna Holiyad)

Press-conference in UNIAN 21.03.2002

On 21 March 2002 'Freedom of Choice' Coalition of Ukrainian NGOs and Transparency International - Ukraine held a press-conference in UNIAN. During the press conference the RESULTS OF INDEPENDENT MONITORING OF POLITICAL PARTIES' AND ELECTORAL BLOCKS' EXPENDITURES ON POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS IN MASS-MEDIA were announced.

According to the monitoring results till the 17th of March) all participants of electoral campaign spent 3,921522 USD. 64% of this sum (2 ,519 696 USD) is spend on direct political advertisements and 36% (1 401 826 $ USA) - on social advertisements that support political forces.

At present it's SDPU(u) who holds leader position according to the cost of its advertising that is 1 175 812 USD. An important result of the week monitoring is the fact of exceeding the expenditures' limit restricted by Ukrainian legislation (2, 550, 000 hrn (appr. 480000 USD)) by 'Women For Future' party. Total cost of its expenditures is 716 470 USD that is in one and a half times more.

In general the leaders of expenditures (on both direct and social advertising) are the follows: SDPU(u) - 1175 812 USD, 'Women for future' - 722300 USD, Green Party of Ukraine - 375914 USD, All-Ukrainian Unity of Christians 265322 USD, 'Apple' - 259207 USD, 'Our Ukraine' - 252173 USD, Communist Party of Ukraine (new) - 176091 USD, New Generation - 173198 USD and 'For United Ukraine' - 130252 USD and Yulia Tymoshenko's Bloc - 103817 USD. These are in the group whose advertisement costs more than 100000 $ USD. More detailed monitoring data find on the project's web-page: www.vybory.org.ua

Communist Party of Ukraine (new), New Generation of Ukraine and All-Ukrainian Political Unity 'Women For Future' demonstrate the fastest over the last two weeks growth of advertisement expenditures.

Organizers of the monitoring underline that presented sums reflect only the cost of political advertisement in mass media and don't record other types of expenditures (visual ad, printed production, organizing expenditures etc).

Detailed information and its graphic demonstration find on the web-page: www.vybory.org.ua, call (38044) 461-90-22 (Iryna Holiyad) or send am e-mail to elections@vybory.org.ua, holy@vybory.org.ua

Project "Public Monitoring of Electoral Campaign Financing" is held within the framework of activity of All-Ukrainian Public Monitor Committee and supported by International Renaissance Foundation and Canadian Agency of Intenational Development.

The recording and evaluation of advertisement cost is provided by Monitoring of Mass Media in Ukraine/ Teylor Nelson Sofres company.

It was like a jump in a cold water

In this way Inese Voika (Transparency International, Latvia) described her experience in providing project, which aim was public monitoring of political parties expenditures on advertisement during election campaign to local government in Latvia.

She and Christian Gruenberg (Transparency International, Argentina) visited Kyiv during 17-19 of February in the capacity of International Watch Group members of project "Civil Monitoring of Campaign Funding 2002".

It's Christian's idea to count real market cost of political advertisement and to compare these figures with declared ones.

Similar projects were successfully implemented in Latin and Nothern America.

Latvia was the first from the former USSR countries, where such monitoring was provided.

During three days Inese and Christian took part in different meetings with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign organisations.

The culmination of the visit was press-conference in UNIAN.

First co-ordinator of Coalition "Freedom of Choice" Vladyslav Kaskiv presented the project, then spoke members of International Watch Group.

Christian explained importance of expenditures on political advertisement analysis (in Argentina it is almost 80% of all expenditures during election campaign, in other countries this rate is also high).

Inese fixed on common for post-soviet countries problems during monitoring and analysed Latvian experience.

Working meetings with Ukrainian team, involved in project, were another important aspect of visit.

Advices of experienced colleagues were very useful.

Ukrainian project "Civil Monitoring of Campaign Funding 2002" will not be "like a jump in a cold water".