Today, on 24 September, there was a conference call with leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MIA), Minister Arsen Avakov and NGO representatives participating. Conference call participants discussed the readiness of the MIA to ensure public order and safety in local elections scheduled for 25 October 2015. Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA emphasized that high quality and timely cooperation between law-enforcement bodies and OPORA observers is necessary to minimize the number of violations during preparation and conduct of local elections on 25 October.

Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA Olha Aivazovska has stated: “Civil Network OPORA is interested in efficient cooperation with law-enforcement officers aimed at prevention and due investigation of electoral rights violations. Such cooperation in 2014 was quite wide, but only 2 cases of hundreds opened criminal proceeding ended up with guilty verdicts for voter bribery. Timely response of law-enforcement bodies to information about violations, proper collection of evidences and pre-court investigation should become a precedent for this year's elections”.

Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, high officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Migration Service, State Emergency Service Department, State Tax Service, Ukrainian National Guard, representatives of the Civil Network OPORA from all the regions, and representatives of other NGOs have participated in the conference call.

Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov has emphasized in his speech to Chiefs of Main Departments of MIA that they should cooperate with the Civil Network OPORA, monitor the media and timely and promptly respond to information about election law violations received from OPORA or the media. Minister Arsen Avakov ordered Chiefs of Main Departments of MIA, MIA Departments in oblasts and in Kyiv city the following:

  • to adjust cooperation with regional branches of Civil Network OPORA and other local NGOs watching adherence to electoral legislation in the election process, and assist their representatives if they apply to MIA bodies;
  • to deploy MIA officers closer to campaigning sites, established by local self-government bodies;
  • to register all reports related to elections and timely take the corresponding decisions in accordance with the legislation;
  • to meet with leaders of local organizations of political parties and associations, which are electoral subjects; to inform them about main tasks of militia related to the election campaign; to emphasize about measures of response to information messages;
  • to control the safety of foreign observers in places where they stay temporarily;
  • to adjust cooperation with heads of territorial election commissions concerning joint efforts related to keeping electoral documentation and securing election safety.

It should be mentioned that OPORA will systematically inform the public about the course of election campaign, and whether electoral subjects adhere to the electoral legislation, officials participate in the race, and all the interested parties follow international standards. Wide-scale civic observation is aimed to prevent violations committed during the election campaign and abuses during the vote count.

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Reference:

Civil Network OPORA conducts citizen observation of local elections in Ukraine, scheduled for 25 October 2015. 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 electoral violations through comprehensive civic action. 144 long-term observers were deployed to all Ukrainian regions on 5 September, and 3000 short-term observers will join them on the election day.