Sept. 17, 2014, 3 a.m.
In late August, the electoral process began to prepare and hold early parliamentary elections to be held on October 26, 2014. The elections are taking place amidst socio-political tensions and overt Russian aggression in Crimea and Donbas. At the same time, parliamentarians did not make the necessary legislative changes to optimize the electoral process in certain regions and reduce government spending, and the electoral system remained proportional-majority. The CEC timely formed 213 district election commissions (DECs) with representatives of four parliamentary parties and 21 political parties whose candidates participated in the previous parliamentary elections in 2012, but political influence in the composition of the commissions remains opaque.
UDAR, the Party of Regions, Batkivshchyna and Svoboda took advantage of the additional right to nominate candidates to DECs as parliamentary factions registered in the parliament, which gave them on average more than double the number of DEC members across the country. Since September, the Civil Network OPORA has been conducting a large-scale observation campaign for the early parliamentary elections, during which 213 long-term observers will work in all regions of Ukraine from the official start of the election campaign to the announcement of the final election results. On the election day, they will be joined by more than 2,000 activists to conduct a quick statistical vote count.
Formationof District Election Commissions
The formation of DECs for the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine was conducted legally and in a conflict-free atmosphere. According to the results of the CEC's draw among 21 political parties and submissions of 4 parliamentary parties (which formed factions), UDAR (363 people), the Party of Regions of Ukraine (355), All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" (352) and All-Ukrainian Union "Batkivshchyna" (344) will have the largest number of representatives in district election commissions. The smallest representation in DECs will be from the Right Sector (59 people), the political association "Ridna Vitchyzna" (90 people) and the Party of Pensioners of Ukraine (109 people).
According to Olha Aivazovska, coordinator of OPORA's election and parliamentary programs: "Political influences in the composition of district commissions remain non-transparent. The participation of low-influence electoral actors of the 2012 model in the formation of DECs creates potential risks of using their quotas in the interests of more powerful political players. According to OPORA, political forces that did not overcome the electoral threshold in 2012 occupy 61% of seats in the newly formed DECs."
It is worth noting that in the temporarily occupied territories of the AR of Crimea and Sevastopol (i.e., constituencies
# 1-10, # 224-225), elections are not organized and held in accordance with Article 8 of the Law "On Ensuring Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine."
Most DECs held their first meetings on time. On average, at least 70 percent of DEC members were present at the commission meetings. All DEC members present took the oath of office. In general, low turnout of commission members was the main problem during the first meetings of district election commissions. According to the generalized information collected by the observers of the Civil Network OPORA, 25% of the total number of DEC members (including the leadership) did not participate in the first meeting of district election commissions.
Representatives of the political party "Green" were the most undisciplined - 69% of DEC members from this party (97 out of 141) did not appear at the first meeting of the commission. They are followed by the Socialist Party of Ukraine (43% of members missed the first DEC meeting), Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko (41% of absentees) and the Party of Pensioners of Ukraine (40% of absentees). The main reasons for the absence of commission members at the first meeting were their refusal to participate in the meeting or outdated contact information of these persons (incorrect or non-working phone numbers).
The state of material and technical support of election commissions is still unsatisfactory. There are problems with insufficient space (the premises of more than thirty DECs do not meet the requirements of the CEC), lack of telephone communication, Internet, office equipment, and furniture. This is due to the fact that at this stage of the election process, local authorities have not yet managed to create proper conditions for the work of DECs, and DECs have not yet received the funds allocated for the purchase of necessary items.
Organization of the Electoral Process in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions
During the early parliamentary elections in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 32 single-member constituencies were established (21 in Donetsk region, 11 in Luhansk region). OPORA analyst Oleksandr Kliuzhev emphasizes: "According to OPORA's estimates, as of 10.09.2014, only in 9 out of 32 constituencies in Donetsk and Luhansk regions it is realistic to hold elections at all polling stations or in all settlements."
In Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the full organization of work of district election commissions is already difficult at this stage and the commissions do not fully follow the procedure established by law. Two DECs in Donetsk oblast (#49 and #59) failed to hold their first meeting within the three-day period prescribed by the law. Other commissions in Donetsk region (in particular, DECs 46, 47, 50, 57, 58, 59) worked and administered the oath in the absence of a quorum.
It should be noted that according to OPORA's estimates, as of September 10, in Donetsk region, the probability that elections will be held throughout the entire district is true for 8 out of 21 districts, the probability of holding elections in a certain part of the district's settlements is real for 3 districts, and in 10 districts there is no possibility of holding elections at the moment. Compared to the May 25 presidential election, only 8 out of 21 districts fully or partially voted.
In Luhansk region (due to the special geography of districts due to the specific population density), as of September 10, the probability of elections taking place within the entire district is confirmed for only 1 out of 11 districts, while the probability of elections in a certain part of the district's settlements is realistic for 5 districts, and 5 districts do not currently have the possibility of holding elections. It should be noted that in the May 25 presidential election, voting took place in 2 out of 12 districts in full or in part.
Candidate registration and campaigning
The early parliamentary elections in Ukraine have intensified the processes of party reformatting, formation of electoral alliances and changes in the leadership of political forces. The nomination of candidates for the Ukrainian parliament began on August 28, but as of September 10, the CEC had not yet registered any electoral lists of political party candidates. The parties' hesitancy is explained by the dynamic timing of the early campaign and the ongoing political transformations after the 2014 presidential election.
In terms of official registration, self-nominated candidates were more active. In single-mandate constituencies, 69 candidates were registered, of whom only one was a party nominee (most candidates were registered in Odesa oblast - 14, Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Luhansk - 4). According to the Law of Ukraine "On Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine," a candidate's election campaign begins the day after the CEC makes a decision on his or her registration. Thus, at the moment, only candidates registered in single-mandate constituencies have started their official campaigning.
Despite the lack of official status of electoral subjects, political parties have de facto started their campaigning. According to OPORA's observers, the campaigning activity of parties in different regions is not uniform. The campaigns of parties in Kirovohrad, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Zhytomyr regions are characterized by high activity. According to OPORA, the vast majority of parties are currently resorting to outdoor advertising (billboards, city lights, posters, etc.), which is explained by the intention of political forces to inform voters about their intentions to run for the Ukrainian parliament. In some regions, media advertising of parties has already appeared (publications, messages, speeches, media stories).
INTERIM REPORT on the results of OPORA's long-term observation of the 2014 early parliamentary elections in Ukraine
For comments, please contact:
Olha Aivazovska, coordinator of the election and parliamentary programs of the Civil Network OPORA
063 617 97 50, a.olja@opora.org.ua
For more information:
Civil observation of OPORA is an area of the network's activity aimed at objective assessment of the process of preparation and conduct of elections, as well as prevention of violations of the electoral law.
Since September 2014, the Civil Network OPORA has been conducting a large-scale campaign to monitor the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The Network will involve 213 long-term observers who will work in all regions of Ukraine from the official start of the election campaign until the final election results are announced. On the election day, October 26, they will be joined by more than 2,000 activists to conduct a quick statistical vote count.
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