On 19 October, on Pivdenno-Kiltseva Street, next to House 5V, OPORA observer spoke with the campaigner of the candidate Vitalii Mychyilishyn (electoral district 201, the Party of Regions). Campaigners, in particular, also spoke of direct bribery of voters with cash and grocery packages. The conversation was recorded on video.
That day, around 7pm, OPORA observer witnessed how a group of 4 people, 2 of them being representatives of a veteran organisation, arrived to the the tower block at the address of 11 Pivdenno-Kiltseva Street. They delivered grocery packages to the flats saying that Vitalii Mykhailishyn helped them do it.
Vitalii Mykhailishyn commented on this information to OPORA observer, “This is a provocation, I have nothing to do with it. Everything I do — I do openly.” Vitalii Mykhailishyn also doesn't think of it as of a major provocation, “I think the provocateurs chose, for example, 5 locations in different parts of the city to make it look massive.”
OPORA encourages voters not to sell their votes. And people who conduct direct bribery of voters — to stop committing the crime.
Reference:
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 is carrying out a large-scale campaign of long- and short term observation, organizing 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 on observation results, including infographics and interactive maps.