Ukraine poll would restore political stability: EU

Brussels, May 23 (IANS) The European Union Friday voiced its support for upcoming presidential election in Ukraine May 25.

EU said the successful presidential election in Ukraine will be a major step to de-escalate tensions and restore security and political stability, Xinhua quoted an EU statement as saying.

The statement condoled the death of 16 people in the eastern Ukraine Thursday ahead of the elections.

"Ukrainian voters must be unimpeded in the exercise of their voting rights. Election authorities must be allowed to conduct elections without hindrance throughout the country and domestic and international observers must be allowed to fully fulfil their function," the EU added.

According to the statement, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has deployed an observation mission to assess the election's compliance with international standards and said the results must be respected by all.