CIS-EMO observers propose their colleagues abandon emotional judgments about elections in Ukraine

Kyiv, October 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Observers for the parliamentary elections in Ukraine from the CIS-EMO mission have proposed that their colleagues from other international missions abandon emotions and judgments while analyzing the course of the election campaign.

"We, as before, are proposing that all international observers abandon emotional judgments about the elections and move to justified, including mathematically justified, data on violations. So we are not only considering violations, but we are also trying to understand how certain violations that are characteristic for Ukraine actually influence the outcome of elections," mission member Stanislav Byshok said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday, while presenting the mission's second report.

"There are a number of violations that are often mentioned, but they are quite comical. For example, a certain candidate distributed buckwheat, while another candidate painted a fence somewhere a few weeks before the elections. Some could consider that indirect campaigning. But how it actually influences the outcome of elections is the question that we want to understand, and that is highlighted in our report," he said.

Mission representative Oleg Verkin said that the natural growth of violations could not throw into question the elections being democratic if these cases are connected mainly with candidates running in single-member constituencies and if these violations are mostly against each other.

"Accordingly, they are, in fact, are absorbed and absolutely by no means influence the final result," he said.

He said that other observers from the missions of international and domestic monitoring had often recorded an increase in the total number of violations, but without reference to any scientific methodology of their assessment. Thus, CIS-EMO observers analyzed materials on the use of administrative resources in a report published by the Opora civil network.

"They were written in some detail, and this gave us food for thought, but if we carefully analyze the facts of the use of administrative resources, then, at best, 15% of the volume that our colleagues from Opora cite as examples are one way or another are reflected either in the Code of Administrative Offences or in the Criminal Code," Vernik said.

In addition, the expert pointed to the weakness of legal support for the election campaign of parliamentary candidates.

"We see that candidates spend a lot of money on black PR, white PR, publishing activity, intelligence and counterintelligence, but absolutely spend no funds on legal support," he said.

As an example, he cited the fact that according to the Interior Ministry, to law enforcement agencies and courts had currently received less than 3,000 complaints and that, at best, only a tenth of single-member candidates somehow use legitimate opportunities to challenge various violations of the electoral law.

CIS-EMO analyzed 359 violations that were checked by the mission and were actually confirmed. The greatest number of violations is related to the organization of provocations against colleagues in electoral districts (17.6%), the use of administrative resources (13%), the use of official position (12.2%), as well as the direct bribing of voters (12.6%). There are fewer violations related to the receipt of preferences in election commissions (10.3%) and the spread of campaign materials in unauthorized places (9.2%).

Observers noted that the percentage of such serious violations as direct pressure on election commissions, the physical impact on candidates or the deception of the Central Election Commission was slight - 1.1%, 0.3% and 2.8% respectively.

"In addition, it is important that especially dangerous violations of human rights are also limited and account for 2.7%," reads the report.