The location of some district election commissions in Luhansk and Donetsk regions should be changed to ensure the holding of parliamentary elections in these districts, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Mykhailo Okhendovsky has said.
According to the commission’s press service, this issue was discussed at a meeting between Okhendovsky and a delegation of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, led by the head of the observation mission for extraordinary parliamentary elections in Ukraine, Tana de Zulueta.
‘In order to ensure the voting in these regions at the maximum number of polling stations, we will probably have to change the location of some district commissions,’ Okhendovsky said.
He said that the current law contains a provision according to which it is impossible to change the borders and centers of electoral districts during the election process.
‘Unfortunately, this provision, like the law as a whole, has not been changed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, despite the strong recommendations of the CEC, which were included in bill No. 453 – only 179 deputies voted for it this week. But I would like believe that there are a lot more supporters of early elections in parliament and that the law will finally be changed in line with the CEC’s recommendation at least at the next plenary meeting to be held in October,’ Okhendovsky said.
‘As for the question of ensuring the proper operation of all district commissions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, without which, for example, it will be impossible to deliver ballots to polling stations and determine voting results in respective districts, the Central Election Commission is ready to consider proposals from the heads of state administrations a temporary change of location of certain district election commissions without changing the borders and centers of districts,’ he added.
