INTERIM REPORT ON OBSERVATION RESULTS OF REGULAR LOCAL ELECTIONS IN CITIES OF MARIUPOL AND KRASNOARMIISK, DONETSK OBLAST
Civil Network OPORA hasn't noticed any gross violations of electoral legislation committed by electoral subjects in Mariupol and Krasnoarmiisk, what is a good precondition for free voting on 29 November. Voters in Krasnoarmiisk and Mariupol will have quite a wide choice of mayoral candidates – 20 and 22 candidates respectively. Overpolitization of territorial election commissions and strong mutual distrust between the electoral subjects remain the worst hazards for the election process.
Although the election process in Krasnoarmiisk and Mariupol was disrupted in 25 October local elections causing damage to internal and international political image of Ukraine, the MPs have managed to adopt regulations on 10 November 2015 securing organization of election on 29 November.
Olha AIVAZOVSKA, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA said:“Overpolitization of territorial election commissions and strong mutual distrust between the electoral subjects remain the worst hazards for the election process in Krasnoarmiisk and Mariupol. There are risks of administrative pressure upon the voters in these cities, as well as attempts to make up some reasons to delegitimize the election process. All the electoral subjects should make every effort to prevent potential risks from becoming negative consequences in practice.”
Analyst at the Civil Network OPORA Oleksandr Kliuzhev has stated: “Election commissions at all levels are ready to conduct the voting process on 29 November and have everything needed to secure voting rights of citizens. Only political reasons may bring a repeated disruption and, therefore, any attempts to destabilize the situation must be promptly suppressed by law enforcement.”
Legal uncertainty, CEC decision on campaigning ban and the challenge against it in court has affected cooperation between citizens and candidates as well as an overall awareness of the voters in Krasnoarmiisk and Mariupol. However, some candidates continued campaigning even after the corresponding decision of the CEC.
Krasnoarmiisk and Mariupol citizens will have quite a wide choice of candidates. In Mariupol, 22 candidates for mayor are nominated, and 14 local party cells have registered electoral lists. In Krasnoarmiisk, 12 local party cells have registered electoral lists, and 22 mayoral candidates are nominated.
According to OPORA's monitoring results, top 5 candidates who organized the most active election campaigning in Mariupol are: self-nominated candidates Vadym Boichenko, Yurii Ternavskyi, Hryhorii Shekula, and Vasyl Zhuravliov; candidate Oleksandr Romaniuk nominated by the PPB 'Solidarity'. In Krasnoarmiisk: Serhii Andriichenko (Youth Party of Ukraine), Serhii Dorosh (PPB 'Solidarity'), Ihor Rehan (Samopomich), Ruslan Trebushkin (self-nominated), and Oleksandr Yastrubenko (Nash Krai).
Talking about election campaigning of local party cells participating in elections to Mariupol and Krasnoarmiisk city councils, top 5 active parties, according to OPORA's monitoring results, are: Opposition Bloc, AUU Batkivshchyna. Ukrainian Union of Patriots – UKROP, Petro Poroshenko Bloc 'Solidarity', and Syla Liudei in Mariupol; and Youth Party of Ukraine, Revival party. Petro Poroshenko Bloc 'Solidarity', Nash Krai, and AUU Batkivshchyna in Krasnoarmiisk.
Civil Network OPORA calls on:
- law enforcement bodies to secure proper investigation of criminal proceedings concerning disruption of regular elections on 25 October 2015, and promptly respond to all notifications and statements concerning electoral violations made during the election process in correspondence with principles of political impartiality;
- electoral subjects –to give up any attempts to destabilize the situation or artificially delegitimize the election process, refrain from making any political influence on commission members and overpolitization of these commissions, use judicial and extrajudicial means of appealing against election law violations if there is such a need;
- Central Election Commission –to respond more fully promptly to any problematic situations in Mariupol and Krasnoarmiisk and use controlling and coordinating functions if there is such a need;
- Donetsk Military and Civilian Administration, local authorities –to refrain from making any statements giving political assessment to activities of electoral subjects, like in some situations before.