10:48 30.10.2017

Observers record no violations affecting final results of local elections in Ukraine

3 min read

Observers from the OPORA civil network have not recorded any significant violations that could affect the final results of local elections in Ukraine and were provided by precinct election commissions with unhindered conditions for monitoring all electoral procedures, according to a report posted on the organization's website.

"The handing of ballots to voters who present no passport remains a key problem at the end of the vote - despite the fact that the number of such cases decreased compared to the first half of the day and amounted to 3.3% (data obtained from a representative number of polling stations). In most cases, OPORA observers prevented the commission of such criminal offenses. However, even with independent observation and response from observers, the practice of illegal handing of ballots is ignored by members of election commissions or even accompanied by attempts to formalize such actions by collegial decisions of commissions," observers said.

As of 20.00, OPORA observers recorded cases of violation of the secrecy of the vote at 0.8% of polling stations.

On the voting day, observers recorded in various regions the cases of mistakes and inaccuracies in the ballots, which is the result of the irresponsible attitude of precinct election commissions to performing their duties and the discrediting of the electoral process based on the principle of competitiveness.

Observers also noted that election commissions properly responded to cases of the presence of unauthorized persons at polling stations identified by observers at PECs in Vinnytsia, Rivne and Luhansk regions. At the same time, they also recorded cases when officials and people's deputies involved in such incidents abused their status and office, committed illegal actions and also inclined members of election commissions to ignore violations of electoral legislation.

"As of the end of the voting day, there were reports from observers about the transportation of voters to polling stations (Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions). Formally this is not a violation of the law, but all actions, including those on organizing and holding elections, can be financed either from of the budget or at the expense of the electoral fund. Only the ways of financing determined by law can guarantee the observance of the principle of equality of candidates. If there are cases of transportation of voters, law enforcement organizations need to check what funds were used for such transportation or only supporters of certain candidates or all voters were transported. Unfortunately, in all such cases, law enforcement officials did not take active steps to clarify the circumstances of the incident," reads the report.

Observers recorded a high voter turnout (48.2%) on the polling day. At the time of the closing of polling stations, queues from citizens who did not have time to vote were recorded at 1.6% of PECs.

As reported, the first elections of deputies of village and town councils, as well as heads of villages and towns, in 201 united territorial communities created as part of the process of decentralization, were held in Ukraine for the first time on October 29. These communities included 933 local councils.

According to preliminary estimates, over 1.33 million people, or about 4% of all Ukrainian voters, could participate in the elections on October 29.

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