Ukrainian Civic organizations to hold public Election Night on October 26

A coalition of civil society organizations and initiatives (Spilno.tv, Maidan Public Sector, OPORA Civil Network, Center UA, Reanimation Package of Reforms, Chesno Civic Movement and Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Office in Kyiv) plans to hold a "Public Election Night. Cheer for Civic Activists" public event for the activists of public movements and civil society organizations, journalists and interested public dedicated to the elections to the Ukrainian Parliament. The event will take place on October 26, from 7 pm through 11.30 pm, at the Ukraine Hall of Hotel Ukraine. During the event participants and guests will have an opportunity to analyze, in an informal atmosphere, exit polls data and preliminary election results as well as exchange their views on:

• Precedent of numerous nominations of civil society activists to Ukrainian Parliament;
• Mechanisms of interaction between civil society organizations, movements and civic activists when elected to the Parliament as well as with the Parliament in general;
• Need for reform;
• War in the East of Ukraine;
• Problems of civilians and refugees from the areas of continued hostilities;
• Humanitarian policy with respect to Ukraine crisis;
• Volunteers movement in Ukraine.

Representatives of civil society organizations and public movements, political analysts, Ukrainian and international journalists and members of the German Green Party are invited to the event. Presentations of civic activists, parliamentary candidates, and live streams from campaign headquarters, electoral districts and the Central Elections Commission are also planned. Democratic countries have a tradition of such Election Nights. They are mostly organized by political parties. Ukrainian parties, without doubt, will hold such Election Nights at their campaign headquarters. The idea of ​​our event is to provide a non-party venue that is open to everyone, especially to civic and non-party activists interested in the elections and their results. The practice of nominating civil society activists to European and American Parliaments has a longstanding tradition, while in Ukraine it is not so common. Thanks to the social and political change brought about by the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, including the upsurge in the activity of civil society organizations and public movements in the run-up to the parliamentary elections of October 26, 2014, Ukrainian civic activists and journalists were nominated to the lists of existing political parties, as well as in single-member electoral districts. After getting into the Parliament, they intend to interact efficiently both among themselves and with the society representatives in order to implement reforms in the country and to defend the interests of the civil society and public movements and organizations that brought them to the Parliament. [hr]To register for the event, please fill out the form. For any questions, please contact: [email protected] For more information on the event, please visit: http://ua.boell.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/10/elections_night_2014_en.doc, http://social-party.in.ua.