What is peculiar about election campaign in the capital and how candidates can win votes of Kyiv citizens
Kyiv has a traditionally unique political micro climate. Citizens of the megapolis, which has own local government and is administrative center of the state at the same time, have unique political taste. You may meet here a person, which has not a very good opinion about the work of the local council or administration, but carpingly follows the events in the Cabinet of Ministers, Parliament or State Bank. Other citizens, on the contrary, care for nothing but their own city, homes, yards, and are at constant war with developers, which often pose a threat to comfortable living in Kyiv. Such division in political views will influence the campaign of majoritarian candidates in 13 districts of the capital.
Territorial organization of elections, or machination#1
On 4 April 2012 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine(CCU) determined a how many districts shall form the Central Election Commission in Kyiv. The issue is about 3 additional seats and the right to vote in majoritarian districts for almost 400 000 citizens which are temporarily residing abroad. 59 MPs of Ukraine appealed to the court concerning the constitutionality of electoral norms on equal inclusion of overseas polling stations to all single-mandate districts in Kyiv. In result of CCU decision, there were created 13 districts instead of 16, as prescribed by the electoral legislation. Therefore, the Court has changed the matter of the election campaign. Majoritarian candidates in Kyiv will not have to invent methods of campaigning to engage voters which are temporarily residing in Australia or Russia. Nevertheless, from the perspective of the rule of law, in particular, of Constitutional norms, a number of Ukrainian citizens will be discriminated due to the place of residence and deprived of their full voting rights.
Why candidates leave their parties
2 160 965 voters live in Kyiv. Desnianskyi is the biggest heavily populated district (287 200 voters), the smallest - Pecherskyi (90 994). The composition and demographic structure of every district will influence campaigns of future candidates. What is most interesting, is that almost 65% voting-age citizens belong to the category of working people from 18 to 59 years old. It means, that most voters in Kyiv are not only "granny buckwheat-lover", which support can be easily gained through bribing them with primitive food sets. However, this group rather votes "against all" or ignores elections at all, than takes active participation in the election process. As a result, a unique mayor was chosen in Kyiv twice, whose political carrier had dramatically rose due to the socially unprotected voters without higher education, which are grateful for any kind of charity or material benefits. Campaigning methods of Leonid Chernovetskyi became axiomatic and now they are actively used on all levels of the election process.
If we analyze preferences of the citizens on the basis of latest polls, conducted by the Razumkov Centre together with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in April and June 2012, we'll see that they are just slightly different from national indices. A tendency shows that a number of undetermined voters in the capital is considerably bigger than the national. It corresponds to the national result, which shows that most of undetermined voters are people with higher education. Generally, the result of united opposition is close to the national, a result of UDAR party - is twice bigger, and of the Party of Regions - twice smaller. The All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda", as well as communists, do not overcome the threshold. The huge advertising campaign of Ms. Korolevska (Forward, Ukraine!) obviously has an impact on Kyiv citizens.
Therefore, candidates which are aware of the results of closed polls, which are not available for the citizens, will have to take necessary measures to win support of voters in Kyiv. Nomination from the Party of Regions in Kyiv will definitely not help in achieving desired results. Therefore, even current MPs of Ukraine try not to advertise their affiliation to this political party. For example, Ihor Lysov, who was elected to the VRU (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) from the Party of Regions under the number 156, never shows his party affiliation when campaigning in Kyiv. His bill boards are colored in green, and content of materials does not contain references to the political affiliation. However, anti-regime propaganda leaflets, which remind voters about his party affiliation, are already spread in the district (See picture #1). Valerii Borysov, who is from the same party, have also chosen neutral, not similar to the Party's colors for campaigning (See picture #2). The former team members of ex-Mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetskyi are also laconic when talking about their political platform: Former Secretary of the Kyiv City Council Oles Dovhyi, ex-Deputy Mayor of Leonid Chernovetskyi Alla Shlapak, son in law of former Mayor Olexandr Suprunenko. The above mentioned examples show, that the affiliation of candidates in single-mandate districts of Kyiv is a secondary factor. The majority of 32 active candidates which started campaigning in Kyiv are trying not to advertise their party affiliation. The opposition is still on the phase of district division, and its representatives are not campaigning.
Voter bribery is in full swing
The campaign of candidates which are focused on the victory traditionally usually consist of the following components: a qualitative work of headquarters, interesting and bright advertising, outstanding, preferably charismatic candidate, a good political background, a clear and comprehensible program for post-election period. However, the current situation shows that in a couple months before the election day candidates are trying to feed all the deprived, give drinks to all the thirsty, and cure all the diseased. According to the corresponding legislation and explanations given by the CEC (Central Election Commission), everything costing more than 3% of the minimal salary (32,85 UAH), containing no marking of electoral advertising and campaigning for or against a certain candidate, shall be regarded as voter bribery. Thus, not only cash, but goods and services, which are disseminated by candidates, are bribery of voters.. However, such actions have no legal consequences until the official start of campaign on 30 July, because there are no registered candidates, no electoral funds and no precinct election commissions. Such activity of candidates should cause political consequences and the corresponding reaction of voters.
According to OPORA observation, 32 candidates are actively campaigning in Kyiv. Their activity depends on financial resources and creativity of headquarters of candidates themselves. Thus, Valerii Borysov from the PR (Party of Regions) initiated in 2012 the construction of Open-air ethnographic park "Horodets Kniazhyi" on Troieshchyna. The approximate cost of the park is 20 million UAH. Oles Dovhyi organized a meeting for young families with a famous paediatrician Yevhen Komarovskyi in Zhovtnevyi Palace in late May (25-27). The event was organized by a famous producer Yevhen Rybchynskyi. Pictures of candidate with children were held in the corridor, and all participants received presents. Dmytro Andrievskyi, which actively gives presents to voters, also had started campaign quite actively. The potential candidate presented tickets to the Kyiv dolphinarium, dedicated to International Children's Day, gave money on 10 scholarships for top KPI students, is providing material help to voters in district where he's going to be nominated. The deputy from the Party of Regions Maksym Lutskyi was spreading New Year gifts with champaign, medicine and his printed portrait in 2011. In June he sponsored the International Journalism Festival "Zhurnalistska Vesna" in the Institute of Journalism. The potential candidate Alla Shpak (district #221), in addition to outdoor advertising, is using the traditional method of engaging old people - product sets. For example, on 2 May electoral "presents" were distributed from cars near residential buildings in Pecherskyi district of Kyiv. Such gifts were mostly given to old women, which could receive a package with simple product sets and campaigning newspaper.
Generally, all above mentioned activities are unlawful. All potential candidates, which publish campaign materials on bill boards, city lights and in mass media, have started campaign before its official beginning. From the standpoint of international practices, the main principle of fair and democratic elections was violated - the principle of equal opportunities. The election legislation takes no measures to those who neglect the law before the official campaign. Unfortunately, nobody is punished for voter bribery, despite it's one of falsification methods.
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