Local elections:tendencies on the start of the election campaign

A significant number of candidates and parties have started the election campaign too early. They publish advertisements in the media and on billboards, organize social events, and intensify activities of charitable foundations long before the official start of election campaign scheduled for 5 September. Thus, they violate the principle of equal opportunities by such activities. However, the CEC has formed 640 election commissions in accordance with the legislative procedures and within the established timeframe in the whole country besides AR of Crimea and some territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The typical member of election commission is a 47-year-old woman representing PPB, AUU Batkivshchyna, Opposition Block, Radical Party or People's Front.

2015 local elections start: Civic Observation Results by OPORA

On 6 September, formation of territorial election commissions (TECs), responsible for organization and conduct of local elections, has finished. The CEC has managed to form 640 TECs in accordance with the legislative procedures and within the established timeframe in the whole country besides AR of Crimea and some territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. On 29 August the CEC has announced 91 local councils in Donetsk oblast and 31 local councils in Luhansk oblasts where regular local elections scheduled for 25 October 2015 cannot be held. This decision was made on the basis of documents submitted by military and civilian administrations of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA, has stated: “According to the results of the draw of lots and after consideration of documents submitted by 6 parliamentary factions, the following parties have received the largest number of representatives in territorial election commissions: Petro Poroshenko Block 'Solidarity' (1730 persons), Batkivshchyna All-Ukrainian Union (1688 persons), Opposition Bloc (1362 persons), Radical Party of Oleh Liashko (1315 persons) and People's Front (1199 persons)”.

The largest number of managerial positions in territorial election commissions have received: Petro Poroshenko Block 'Solidarity' (335 persons), Batkivshchyna All-Ukrainian Union (285 persons), People's Front (246 persons), Opposition Bloc (227 persons), and Radical Party of Oleh Liashko (197 persons).

Analyst of the Civil Network OPORA Oleksandr Neberykut has stated: “The ratio of managerial positions that parties received and the total number of their representatives in TECs is 23% in average (calculated for 20 parties having the largest representation in TECs). UDAR party has received the largest number of managerial positions in proportion to the total number of representatives in TECs – 34%. Vidrodzhennia party and Nash Krai party have 32% and 31% respectively.”

According to the qualitative research of territorial election commissions formed by the CEC, the number of women in election commissions exceeds the number of men: 74.5% and 25.5% respectively. However, on the last local elections these percentages were 68% and 32%. The ratio gap between men and women is the highest in Kherson oblast (82% and 18%) and Kirovohrad oblast (80% and 20%), and the lowest in Kyiv city (55% and 45%) and Zakarpattia oblast (58% and 42%). Besides that, the percentage of women holding managerial positions also prevails: 71% of commission heads are women, as well as 69% of deputy heads and 87% of secretaries.

The average age of TEC members is 47 years. As for the average age of TEC members per oblasts, Kyiv has the highest (41 years) and Kherson oblast has the lowest (51). Average age of TEC members per parties: Narodnyi Kontrol (People's Oversight) Civic Movement has the lowest (40 years) and the Nova Derzhava party has the highest (58 years).

A significant number of candidates and parties have started the election campaign too early. They publish advertisements in the media and on billboards, organize social events, and intensify activities of charitable foundations long before the official start of election campaign scheduled for 5 September. Thus, they violate the principle of equal opportunities by such activities. Besides that, potential candidates have stirred up their "charitable" activities in relation to the beginning of a new academic year and high level of public focus on children and youth issues, especially in Rivne, Odesa, Khmelnytsk, Volyn oblasts and Kyiv city. Despite the legislation prohibits early campaigning, the definition of "election campaigning" itself liberates those who engage voters before the official registration of candidates from responsibility.

Civil Network OPORA would like to emphasize that misuse of administrative resources and their influence on local election campaigns in the certain communities can possibly worsen as a result of decreased public attention to the election process. Wide range of local political interests which are often unknown to the wide public create preconditions for voter bribery in combination with misuse of administrative resources in a form of local budgets and resources used as material incentive to induce the citizens to give their votes for the certain candidates.

2015 local elections start: Civic Observation Results by OPORA

For comment, please contact:Olha Aivazovska, 063 617 97 50