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Presidential elections to cost Ukraine $215 million

KIEV, March 05, /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s Central Election Commission has approved a cost sheet for the budget program to hold presidential elections in 2014, to the tune of some 1,965 million hryvnias ($215 million), the commission reported.

The commission’s meeting on Tuesday, held by commission chairman Mikhail Okhendovsky, also approved the procedure to register official observers from foreign states and international organizations at the elections.

In addition, the commission changed the composition of territorial election commissions in five Ukrainian regions.

Ukraine’s legitimate president, Viktor Yanukovich, was ousted in a violent uprising in February. The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, appointed an interim head of state, set early presidential elections for May 25 and approved a new government. Yanukovich said in south Russia last week he remained Ukraine’s legitimate leader.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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