Quarter million ballots were intentionally spoiled in the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election on March 31, according to Ukrainian Central Elections Commission Chairperson Tetiana Slipachuk.

"Nearly quarter million ballots were pronounced invalid in the March 31 vote due to [...] unlawful actions of citizens. Those ballots were spoiled on purpose," Slipachuk wrote on Facebook.

Voters who repeatedly breached the Law on Ukrainian Presidential Elections and posted photographs of completed ballot papers on the Internet breached the vote secrecy, she said.

"It is a personal decision whether to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate. If you come to polls, you should not break the law but make a conscious choice," Slipachuk said.