The following is a summary of opposition leaders’ allegations of fraud in 13 single-mandate districts, based on their appeal to the Central Election Commission. The appeal was signed by the three main opposition leaders – United Opposition-Batkivshchyna’s Arseniy Yatseniuk, the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms’ Vitali Klitschko and Svoboda Party leader Oleh Tiahnybok.
In the following five districts, new elections will be held:
Constituency 94, Kyiv Oblast
There are multiple alleged violations in this constituency, where Tetiana Zasukha, a prominent member of the Party of Regions, was running. She filed 28 lawsuits claiming her observers were banned from the vote count. She won all the lawsuits, despite the fact that election commissioners were not allowed to testify. There were physical fights after court hearings. All appeals were rejected by higher courts. The district election commission then canceled results from 27 precincts, involving the votes of about 0,000 residents, and pronounced Zasukha winner. The CEC ordered a new election in this constituency.
Constituency 132, Mykolaiv Oblast
There were multiple alleged violations in this constituency on voting day with how ballots were handled and results counted. On Nov. 1, it was discovered that the ballots were not stored properly and mixed up. A local court ordered the confiscation of original protocols with election results, in contradiction of the law. They were confiscated by a Berkut special police unit, with use of force and teargas. The protocols turned out to be fakes. The CEC ordered a new election in this constituency.
Constituency 194, Cherkasy Oblast
Two days after voting, the computer administrator stole access codes to the voting tabulation computer and disappeared. The Party of Regions filed 15 lawsuits in precincts where the opposition candidate won. On Oct. 31, representatives of the opposition were forced out of office where the votes are counted and tabulated in the district commission, while the commission chief disappeared with originals of vote protocols, which have to be sent to CEC for cross-checking. The CEC ordered a new election in this constituency, despite results showing the oppositional candidate winning the election by more than 12,000 votes. Observers from OPORA civic network consider this decision controversial.
Constituency 197, Cherkasy Oblast
Vote counting was very slow in this constituency. On Oct. 31, 10 members of the district election commission left the room and stalled the tabulation. At intervals, electricity was switched off here, too. Electronic data was entered slowly and with multiple errors. Representatives of opposition on the commission were bullied. On Nov.5, the pro-government candidate Bohdan Hubskiy was proclaimed the winner. The CEC ordered a new election in this constituency.
Constituency 223, Kyiv
The vote count here was delayed and representatives of the pro-government candidate Viktor Pylypyshyn were reported spoiling ballots in the process. Cases of pressure and attempts to bribe some district election commissioners were recorded. Svoboda Party candidate Yuriy Levchenko won by 26 votes here, but the CEC has ordered a new election in this constituency.
In eight other districts, the
opposition says it has documented multiple election violations,
most of which are
criminal offenses under articles 157-158 of the Criminal Code of
Ukraine. In
particular, the following violations are alleged:
Constituency 11,
Vinnytsia Oblast
After the
district election commission pronounced oppositional candidate
Natalya Soleyko
winner, five people crept onto the premises of the commission
and destroyed
boxes containing ballots in Soleyko’s favor. Representatives of
government-backed candidate Oleksandr Dombrovskiy demanded a
recount of votes.
After the recount, Dombrovskiy emerged as the winner.
International observers
were banned from the recount.
Constituency 14,
Vinnytsia Oblast
The district
election commission ordered a recount of votes in the
constituency based on
false claims of a Party of Regions candidate that the ballot
boxes were damaged
during transportation from the precinct election commissions.
The ballots cast
for the opposition candidate turned out to have been spoiled
with a second
mark, and were not taken into consideration during the recount.
Viktor
Zherebniuk, the pro-government candidate, won as a result.
Constituency 20,
Volyn Oblast
On Oct. 31,
representatives of Berkut, a special police unit, went to the
district election
commission and forced out all members of the commission
representing the opposition.
Oppositional candidate Roman Karpyuk lost by 428 votes.
Constituency 90,
Kyiv Oblast
Representatives
of the district election commission entered false data into the
electronic vote
counting system, and falsified paper protocols that record
election results.
Vitaliy Chudnovskiy, the boyfriend of Party of Regions deputy
Yulia
Lyovochkina, won the election as a result. Lyvochkina is the
sister of Serhiy
Lyovochkin, presidential chief of staff.
Constituency 183,
Kherson Oblast
The Odesa Court
of Appeals canceled the results of election here, although the
Ukrainian
Democratic Alliance for Reforms candidate Andriy Putilov was
winning by more
than 5,000 votes. Appeals are ongoing, but in case of a recount,
the opposition
fears ballot spoiling and other tricks.
Constituency 211,
Kyiv
The deputy
head of the district election commission broke the seals on
packaged ballots,
which allowed the pro-government candidate to file a lawsuit
demanding a
recount. The court approved a recount, for which Berkut special
police unit was
called in and surrounded the workers of the election commission,
blocking them
from the view of observers. Oppositional candidate Serhiy
Teryokhin suffered minor
injuries in a fight with Berkut. After a number of court cases,
Teryokhin won
the election in this constituency.
Constituency 214,
Kyiv
After the initial
ballot count, UDAR candidate Viktor Chumak won by more than
5,000 votes. Then
the result of the protocol was altered and pro-government
candidate Oles Dovhy
took the lead. Eventually, the result was corrected by the CEC.
Constituency 216,
Kyiv
The
pro-government candidate is challenging the result of the vote
in this
constituency in court, demanding a recount. Opposition candidate
Kseniya
Lyapina won the election, but her allies fear that the ballot
will be spoiled
during the recount, as in other constituencies. Her rivals are
also demanding the
cancellation of results in 16 precincts, which will reverse the
election result.
Kyiv Post Staff
