Clinton, EU top diplomat voice concerns over Ukraine vote

(PARIS) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton on Thursday expressed worry over disturbing trends in Ukraine ahead of a weekend legislative poll.

"We are concerned about reports of the use of administrative resources to favour ruling party candidates and the difficulties several media outlets face," they said in a joint piece published in the International Herald Tribune newspaper.

They also voiced concern at the "lack of representation of some political parties on district and precinct election commissions."

Sunday's polls are the first national vote since President Viktor Yanukovych beat Yulia Tymoshenko in a bitterly contested 2010 presidential ballot that was soon followed by charges against the former prime minister.

Tymoshenko, 51, was sentenced to seven years in prison last October on abuse of office charges that both she and Western states view as a politically motivated bid to sideline her from politics.

"We regret that the conviction of opposition leaders during trials that did not meet international standards are preventing them from standing in the parliamentary elections," Clinton and Ashton said.

"The Ukrainian government needs to address these selective prosecutions, including the case of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and other former senior officials."