Ukraine elections: primaries would bring voters closer to politics

Ukraine should follow the Western example of forming party lists on the basis of preliminary elections in order to make its political parties “more effective and democratic”, according to the International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS).

Political parties in Ukraine are “key players” in the formulation and implementation of government and local policies – and the “main focus of public demand for democracy” following the reform of the electoral system in 2004, argues the paper, published on 3 September. 

The paper identifies three main obstacles to the democratisation of Ukraine’s political parties:

• A shortage of human resources – including the absence of large-scale parties with “well-developed” grassroots organisations and lack of “competent public individuals or well-known politicians” – complicates the organisation of election campaigns at the local level. 
• A “regionalised and limited” voter base – parties dependent on the financial and human resources of specific regions or ideological projects find it “difficult” to expand their electoral base and “stop being parties that represent only one part of the country.” 
• Undemocratic procedures that lack transparency – closed electoral lists force voters to choose a party “brand” rather than individual candidates.

ICPS believes that increasing the effectiveness and democratic credentials of the political parties will mean “getting closer to voters at all levels and gaining their trust” and argue that this could be done by democratising the candidate nomination process by basing party lists on primaries, states the paper. 

ICPS gives several reasons for instituting primaries: 

• To strengthen party lists in order to win elections. 
• To increase party membership and voter support. 
• To make the election process more democratic. 
• To strengthen the link between a party and civil society. 
• To counteract the party leadership’s determination to “reduce the power of mid-ranking officials.” 

Despite there being “no ideal model of primary”, the paper concludes that primaries are an “effective political technology” that parties can use to democratise as well as either increase or decrease the role of ideology in their identity.