Civil Network OPORA is concerned about politically motivated statements of MPs of Ukraine from the Party of Regions, Vadym Kolisnychenko and Dmytro Shpenov, concerning activities of its civic observers during midterm elections of Member of Parliament in district #224 (Sevastopol city). MPs were using harsh rhetoric and concocted facts against the organization. OPORA sincerely hopes that such comments are personal position of these two MPs, not of the whole faction. Taking into consideration European integration aspirations, declared by the President and Ukrainian Parliament, hostility of Members of Parliament towards activities of NGOs is quite disturbing.
Statements about illegal activities of OPORA during elections in district #224 are unsubstantiated, and aimed to discredit the independent civic monitoring of the election process. The fact that members of the CEC are involved into such assessment is even more disturbing. We hope that it happened because the official was disinformed. In particular, during his comment to some mass media representatives, member of the CEC Vadym Chupakhin cast doubt on legal grounds for OPORA activists' presence at polling stations in Sevastopol, and made the unwarrantable assumptions that civic activists interfered in the activities of election commissions. OPORA refutes these accusations and calls the CEC to adhere to principles of impartiality and lawfulness during interaction with the public, show interest in wide civic monitoring in order to secure fair elections. We are convinced that all members of the CEC should understand their professional responsibility for securing participation of the public in state matters, and all aspects of the election process. However, such reproaches will not influence OPORA's impartiality during the voting process and vote count in district #224.
On July 7, 2013 some mass media had published statements of MPs of Ukraine Vadym Kolisnychenko and Dmytro Shpenov concerning activities of OPORA's observers during midterm elections of Member of Parliament in district #224 (Sevastopol city). Kolisnychenko and Shpenov groundlessly cast doubt on the objectivity of OPORA activists. MPs referred to one publication in the media, in which, violating all standards of journalism, were given fictitious rumors about OPORA's activities. The MPs were disseminating canards about "prepared beforehand" summaries of OPORA about results in district #224, and partiality of its civic observation during the elections. Such facts reveal an exclusively political motivation of MPs of Ukraine in their allegations against the NGO.
During the Election Day, OPORA didn't provide any summaries on the course of the election process, but only informed the public about the certain incidents which occurred in polling stations. First results of the observation in district #224 will be published by OPORA only after the vote count is finished. "Cautionary" unprovoked attacks of MPs of Ukraine may be taken as pressure upon OPORA's activities.
After MPs of Ukraine had aired their statements, member of the CEC Vadym Chupakhin gave a comment to the media, alleging that OPORA didn't have the right to conduct observation in Sevastopol, because it has never applied for. OPORA declares that its representatives were legally gathering and disseminating information about the course of election process as journalists of an officially registered printed edition Tochka OPORY. Civil Network OPORA has founded this edition. Such activities belong to legal right of the NGO, and conform to its statutory goals and aims. We should also remind that Ukrainian legislation provides exact guarantees of participation in the election process for printed media of all forms of ownership. Such guarantees cannot be canceled by politically motivated statements or other illegal factors.
Since 2007, journalists of the Tochka OPORY newspaper participate in OPORA's observation campaigns during elections of all levels. The presence of OPORA's activists on polling stations, and their professionally conducted observation secured wide public with impartial information about the course of elections. Besides that, journalists of the Tochka OPORY newspaper are experts in electoral legislation, and have written a number of scientific articles about the election process in Ukraine. OPORA's civic observation during elections in Sevastopol is conducted because citizens need to receive impartial information about the course of election process. Activities of observers are not aimed neither at intervention in the electoral process, nor at the use of judicial or non-judicial dispute resolution. OPORA's conclusions about elections in district #224 will pertain only the Election Day and the vote count. Taking into consideration such goals, presence of the Tochka OPORY newspaper journalists in polling stations is not only legal, but also justified. Besides that, both subjects of the election process and organizers of the elections should be interested in such activities.
As for unwarrantable assumptions that civic activists interfered in the activities of election commissions, made by member of the CEC Vadym Chupakhin, OPORA demands either to provide properly documented evidence, or refute this information.