Special project of Information and analytical portal Kontrakty.UA and the Civil Network OPORA
Elections in Donetsk oblast have always aroused great interest among national and international observers. Previous election campaigns in this region were known for an indisputable leader with administrative, informational, personnel and financial advantages. The situation hasn’t changed before the 2012 Parliamentary campaign. However, it’s still intriguing. Representatives of the Party of Regions are still going to divide majoritarian districts comfortable for their candidates between themselves. Opposition, on its part, will have to choose a strategy for campaigning in this, not very sympathetic to it, region. Changing the rating of the ruling party in Donetsk oblast in conditions of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency is still a topical issue.
New faces of Donetsk elite
2012 Parliamentary elections will become the first serious test for new leaders in Donetsk oblast. After Viktor Yanukovych was elected the president of Ukraine, many influential politicians of the region were promoted and have moved to Kyiv, what considerably influenced the local policy. The appointment of Anatolii Blyzniuk to the post of the Minister of Housing and Communal Services, was the beginning of the era of “top managers” who came to replace “experienced bureaucrats” in the region. The former Chairman of Ltd. "Pharmacy of Donbass" (the company belongs to Rinat Akhmetov's SCM) Andrrei Shyshatskyi became the head of Oblast State Administration, and ex-general manager of the building corporation IACS, which belongs to Alexander Yanukovich, Andrei Fedoryk, was appointed as the Chairman of the Oblast Council. Shyshatskyi and Fedoruk are not very experienced in the civil service, but are vigorously searching for their own style of governing. Both officials are actively engaged in their own PR campaigns. In particular, the governor Shyshatskyi have already been noticed thanks to his famous action “Donetsk is not Las-Vegas”, and a budget program on vitamin fortification of children. Activities of these officials are more and more often connected in the mass media to the leadership in the Party of Regions.
The Party of Regions hopes for better
It’s still hard to say, whether two years of Viktor Yanukovich’s presidency have positively influenced a rating of the Party of Regions in Donetsk oblast, or not. However, the fact that this question is becoming more and more urgent is obvious. This year in April, local headquarters have published information in regional newspapers which stated that the rating of the Party of Regions is all right. According to the closed sociological polls, which often are selectively provided by representatives of the party to mass media, about 40% of respondents are going to support the party in power. Although the Party of Regions seems to be satisfied with the rating provided by themselves, there’s still a problem with the turnout. Local elections in 2010 showed, that voters in Donetsk oblast are quite capable of “voting by their feet”. The party in power, which is famous by its voter mobilization technologies, had to accept 45% turnout. In conditions of national elections, the turnout in region with the biggest number of voters may considerably influence the final results.
The Party of Regions still has monopolistic representation in local governments of Donetsk oblast. Chairmen of Oblast State Administration and Oblast Council, all heads of Rayon State Administrations and Rayon Councils are members of this party. In 2010 the Party of Regions had lost mayoral elections only in five cities of oblast, and only three of these mayors still hold their positions. The majority of deputies from the Party of Regions expressed no-confidence to the unaffiliated Debaltsevo Mayor, Volodymyr Protsenko, which was nominated from the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU). Right before his resignation, Mr. Protsenko criticized a potential majoritarian candidate from The Party of Regions, the MP of Ukraine Ihor Shkiria. The Mayor of Novoazovsk Oleh Sydorenko, nominated from the Strong Ukraine party, was appointed to the position of Chairman of Rayon State Administration by the President’s Decree. The Mayor of Horlivka Yevhenii Klep, which also was nominated from the Strong Ukraine, is in conflict situation with abovementioned MP Mr. Shkiria. The Mayor of Sniezhne Aleksandr Doronin, nominated from the People’s Party, is now forced to prove authenticity of his higher education diploma to law enforcement agencies. Only a communist Olha Kulish, the Mayor of Kirovske city, continues working with almost no incidents.
Opposition is not very active
Opposition in Donetsk oblast is traditionally solving organizational problems before the elections. All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland” is especially passive in the oblast. The leader of regional branch of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYT), the MP of Ukraine Harehin Arutiunov, is almost absent in public. During legal proceedings against Yulia Tymeshenko, her supporters didn’t manage even to organize more or less noticeable protests in Donetsk oblast. The Front for Change is a little more active, and is trying to focus on social problems of the region.
The United Opposition has already announced the appointment of the Head of its election headquarters in Donetsk oblast two times. First, the press-service of All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland” informed the public that the MP of Ukraine Yurii Hrymchak became the Head of election headquarters. Mr. Hrymchak was working in the region on different positions, and is reputed to be a supporter of Yurii Lutsenko since they were members of the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU). Sometime later, the leader of United Opposition Arsenii Yatseniuk announced the appointment of the other man for position of the Head of headquarters. It turned out, that this man is the leader of regional branch of Front for Change, the deputy of City Council, Aleksandr Yaroshenko.
In September, 2011, Mr. Yaroshenko was detained by law enforcement officers in Kyiv. He was charged with abuse, which supposedly happened when he held the position of chief physician in Mariupol dermatology and venereology dispensary. Aleksandr Yaroshenko was released from pre-trial detention facility (SIZO), but criminal cases remained open. Arsenii Yatseniuk and Hennadii Moskal reported many cases of persecution of local opposition leaders and activists during their last visits.
The other will have to strive
The KPU hopes to get support of Donetsk voters which are disappointed with the Party of Regions. After the change of leadership in the region, cooperation between local governments and communists have considerably weakened. Anatolii Blyzniuk, the former Chairman of Donetsk Oblast State Administration, was loyal to KPU initiatives concerning the regional status of Russian language, statements against NATO and hanging out the red flag. Today, Local Councils are closed for similar communist propaganda. Local leaders of KPU sound more and more oppositional.
Strange but true. Oleh Tiahnybok pays special attention to Donetsk oblast. He visited the region already twice times since the beginning of the year. Donetsk oblast headquarters of All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" was headed by Yurii Noevoy, the Deputy head of Kyiv office of the party. On 2010 elections to Local Council All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" received 4% of votes, but its leaders expect that the number of their supporters in this region will significantly increase.
Oleh Liashko, the leader of Ukrainian Radical Party which can often be seen at local protests actions, is already considered to be a frequenter of Donetsk oblast. The Head of UDAR Party is 23-year-old Yehor Fursov, the former member of the Our Ukraine. Local representatives of UDAR say they are ready to coordinate the nomination of majoritarian candidates with other opposition forces. However, the party is still not very active.
Despite the party "Ukraine – Forward!" is very active in outdoor advertising, the local team of Nataliia Korolevska is still little known to the public.
Not enough districts?
21 majoritarian candidates are going to represent Donetsk oblast in the future Parliament of the next convocation. The number of election districts in this region is two districts less in comparison to 2002 elections. It was caused by the reduction in the number of voters in the region during 2002-2012, which has become 280 thousand less. Donetsk city has five election districts now, although the number of voters allowed to create only four of them.
The final list of majoritarian candidates from the Party of Regions remains the key issue of unofficial campaign in Donetsk oblast. Nevertheless, candidates from the party in power have already started campaigning in most districts.
The MPs of Ukraine Tetiana Bakhteeva, Yukhym Zviahylskyi and Valentin Landyk are the candidates in Donetsk.
The Secretary of Donetsk City Council Nikolai Levchenko is actively campaigning in blast center. His activities are more and more centered in the future election district. Oleksandr Bobkov, the Chairman of a Standing Committee of Donetsk Oblast Council will probably run in Donetsk.
The MP of Ukraine Vytalyi Bort and the Head of NGO Civil Initiative Valerii Omelchenko which are to be nominated from the Party of Regions are campaigning in two election district of Makeyivka. The latter is well-known as a son-in-low of the late prime-minister of AR Crimea Vasyl Dzharta.
The former MP of Ukraine Serhii Matviienkov and MP of Ukraine Aleksei Belyi are actively campaigning in Mariupol. Both potential candidates represent the interests of metallurgical giants “Azovstal” and MMK im. Illich.
A brother of RNBO (Ukraine National Security and Defense Council) Secretary, the MP of Ukraine Serhii Kliuev is engaging voters in cities of Artemovsk and Krasnyi Lyman, and rayon Artemovsk rayon.
The ruling party will be represented in Horlivka city by MPs of Ukraine Nikolai Yankovskii and Ihor Shkiria. The former is already famous for the allocation of 1 million UAH on the local contest of mini-projects, in which initiative groups receive up to 20 thousand UAH if their projects win. The latter has a conflict with Yevhenii Klep, an unaffiliated Mayor of Horlivka city. Moreover, he probably was involved in the resignation of the Mayor of Debaltsevo city.
Denys Omelianovych, a business-partner of the vice-premier Borys Kolesnykov, is going to run in districts where his largest enterprises are situated – the cities of Konstantynivka and Druzhkovka, Konstantynivka and Krasnoarmeisk rayons.
In Yenakievo city, where the President Viktor Yanukovich is from, the Party of Regions is going to nominate Leonid Lytvynov, who is the current MP of Ukraine, and the Hero of Ukraine.
MPs of Ukraine Vladyslav Lukianov, Volodymyr Malyshev, Heorhii Skudar, and Valeryi Bevzenko will also run in majoritarian districts in Donetsk oblast.
The potential majoritarian candidates from the Party of Regions call themselves “the lobbyists of oblast cities and rayons”. Some of them even publish the exact sums which they “gained” from the State budget for the development of the certain county.
We’ll recognize them by their deeds
Names of candidates from the opposition remain unknown on the background of active candidates from the party in power. According to Arsenii Yatseniuk, candidates from the United Opposition for each district in Donetsk oblast are already chosen. Nevertheless, he refused to give their names, justifying this by the fear of putting them under the pressure. Therefore, potential candidates from opposition are not active yet.
Nikolai Kravchenko, the first Secretary of KPU and the MP of Ukraine, is intended to run in majoritarian district in the region. In ED #52 (Kalininsk district of Horlivka city, Debaltsevo and Dzherzhynsk cities), between the resigned Mayor of Debaltsevo city, who is to be nominated from the KPU, and Ihor Shkiria, a candidate from the Party of Regions, may appear some conflicts.The list of potential majoritarian candidates from KPU is also not published. The reason is the same the United Opposition has.
The opposition has not enough influential politicians in Donetsk oblast, which could compete with the representatives of the party in power in majoritarian districts.
Well-known opposition politicians don’t seriously consider the possibility of being nominated in this region. The absence of influential and personally interested in the election candidates from the opposition will weaken control over the Party of Regions.
The number of conflicts in future parliamentary elections in Donetsk oblast depends on the fairness of regional officials despite possible benefits the party in power can have in conditions of its monopoly representation on all levels of governance. Opposition have to choose – to let campaigning in this region take its course, or to struggle, without hope of victory, but with a perspective on the future.
Aleksandr Kliuzhev,