On 7 August the Head of Chernivtsi Oblast State Administration Mykhailo Papiev paid a working visit to Hlybotsk and Storozhyn rayons. 2 candidates form the Party of Regions accompanied him: Hennadii Fedoriak (the Head of PJSC Chernihivhaz) - candidate in the district #203 (Novoselytsia, Hlybotsk rayons, a part of Storozhynets rayon, and a part of Sadhirsk district of Chernivtsi city); Mykhailo Bauer (the Chairmen of Education, Youth and Sports Department of Chernivtsi Oblast State Administration) - candidate in district #202 (Putylsk, Vyzhnytsi, Kitsman rayons and a part of Storozhynets rayon). Mykhailo Papiev successfully used his working hours for the benefit of candidates from the Party of Regions for convincing citizens of Hlybotsk and Storozhynets rayons to support them.
OPORA has 6 short videos shot during this working visit. On all of them we can see how Mykola Papiev is openly campaigning for candidates from the Party of Regions, sometimes even using threats and intimidation.
Let’s have a look at these videos:
1.
Mykhailo Papiev is introducing Hennadii Fedoriak to the villagers of Oprysheny village in Hlybotsk rayon, and says afterwards: "If you will be friends with him, and have mutual understanding, he will settle his issues and you will receive gas. If you're not going to be friends - you will receive no gas." Later, Mykhailo Papiev asks villagers: "How you are supposed to show your support?" And gives the answer himself: "There should be mutual sympathy." After someone in the crowd shouted "We should support the government!", - Mykhailo Papiev only summarized it: "If there will be support - will be everything, if there will be no support - everything will remain the same." And the final statement of Mykhailo Papiev: "If you will not show your love, than I will have no reason to look for money for you and build a new nursery school. And Hennadii Dmytrovych (tr. - Fedoriak) - to look for money and provide gas installation."
2.
Mykhailo Papiev is introducing Hennadii Fedoriak to the villagers of Stanivtsi village in Hlybotsk rayon. Then he says that gas supply is the biggest problem of the rayon and reminds what he has done to solve this problem: "I appealed to Kyiv saying that in order to solve the gas problem, we need to make one of "hasovyk" (tr. - chairman of a gas industry company) the member of Parliament. And then you come to an agreement - If you support him - he will provide you with gas supply, if you don't support him - he will not provide you with gas supply. It means that I've put you in a situation with no way out." After that, Mykhailo Papiev starts speaking Russian: "What is the only condition? If you are not going to support him in October, what you will have? If you want gas - show your support, if you don't want - support someone else." To conclude, Mykhailo Papiev mentioned his "another friend Borysov Yurii Serhiiovych" and his contribution to gas supply in Chernivtsi oblast.
3.
On this video Mykhailo Papiev is in Yordanetshy village in Hlybotsk rayon names "assistant system": Yuriy Anatoliyovych Boyko, Yuriy Serhiyovych Borysov, Fedoryak Hennadiy Dmytrovych, Papiyev Mykhaylo Mykolayovych, Haynycheru Mykhaylo Ivanovych and others. Than he airs his thoughts: "We're going to have elections. Imagine that you vote for someone who has a nice posture and beautifully speaks... But what do you need some time later? You need gas! And whom will you ask in order to get it? " An unknown voice-over summarizes with a remark addressed to Mykhailo Papiev: "There will be no such problem in our village... The majority will support!"
4.
The video from Yordaneshy village in Hlybochytsk rayon begins with Mykhailo Papiev campaigning against competitors of Hennadii Fedoriak: Ivan Savych Palamar (self-nominated), Hovornyan Semen Volodymyrovych (CPU), Timish Hryhorii Ivanovych (UDAR). Then he clarifies a situation with Ivan Semeniuk: "He has no vertical support system. Hennadii Dmytrovych has such gas vertical support system: Boiko-the Minister - than NJC "Naftohas of Ukraine" - than "Ukrhasvydobuvannia" - than Firtash Dmytro Vasyliovych - than "Chernivtsihas" - thats all!". In the end of the video, Maykhailo Papiev told about the other districts: "We have showed a pragmatic approach in all districts for the benefit of communities living on this territory. Because, first of all I, the Head of State oblast Administration and the Head of the Party of Regions branch, am responsible for these people. The second responsible person - is the prime-minister of Ukraine Mykola Yanovych Azarov, who has signed the decision of the congress, and the main person who will check our achievements - is the President of Ukraine."
5.
A short video from Yordaneshy village in Hlybotskyi rayon, which is the best described by the speech of Mykhailo Papiev: "What do we need to do and whom do we need to choose. Made all together? Do I like Hennadii Dmytrovych or not?... I stand and think: whatever you must say, I have to. I don't like him, but I have to..."
6.
This video shows Mykhailo Papiev campaigning for the other candidate - Mykhailo Bauer, the Chairmen of Education, Youth and Sports Department of Chernivtsi Oblast State Administration, in Krasnoilsk town in Starozhyntsi rayon during the conference with chairmen of Rayon State Administration departments and heads of villages: "No matter if we like Mykhaylo Yozefovych or not, we have to go and vote for him if we want to live good and if we think about the development of our territory." Besides that, Mykhailo Papiev asked people to follow his example: "I'd like to ask you... It's a very important decision which shout be taken by the community and the electorate. And you may influence them. I'd like you to make a similar simple analysis to the people....
Concerning activities of the Head of Chernivtsi OSA Mykhailo Papiev, we'd like to remind that according to the current law "On the elections of Pople's Deputies of Ukraine" (Articles 68 and 74), officials of executive bodies, local governments, law enforcement bodes and courts are forbidden to conduct a pre-election campaign. Another legislative restriction concerns the use of administrative resource, in particular, using premises of local government and local administration for campaigning. It's also forbidden to use company vehicles, communications, equipment, facilities, other objects and resources in the workplace, official conferences, staff meetings for campaigning, and to attract to employees to the conduction of propaganda or to make them work for the campaigning purposes.
Given examples of activities and speeches of the Head of Chernivtsi OSA, Mykhailo Papiev, may be classifies as abuse of the administrative resource, what is the violation of democratic procedures before elections. Therefore, OPORA strongly insists that all politicians and parties, and first of all, Mykhailo Papiev, don't use the administrative resource as a part of own campaign strategies.
Civic monitoring conducted by OPORA - is a type of network activity, aimed at impartial assessment of the preparation and conduct of elections, as well as preventing violations through comprehensive civic action. Professional monitoring at all stages of the election process indirectly influences the quality of the campaign. The public opinion, both foreign and domestic is formed through gathering and spreading of information among the target audience. From a strategic perspective public monitoring of elections focuses upon improving the system and certain procedures. In 2012, during Parliamentary elections in Ukraine OPORA implements a large-scale campaign of long- and short term observation, organizes a statistical vote-count by the results of voting with the proportional component of the electoral system on a basis of representative selection, will provide 100% coverage of polling stations by observers in separate single-mandate majoritarian districts. OPORA observers will work in all 225 electoral districts, and 3,500 activists will join them on the voting day. Organization will use the latest means of spreading information about observation results, including infographics and interactive maps.