On 6 November 2016, the early mayoral election campaign has started in Kryvyi Rih. Preparations for organization and conduct of elections, scheduled for 27 March, are made quite properly. However, the fact that some potential candidates started early campaigning is against the principle of equal opportunities for other participants of the election.
OPORA's interim report on observation results of early mayoral election in Kryvyi Rih scheduled for 27 march 2016
A political and legal compromise was reached by the Parliament when it scheduled early mayoral election in Kryvyi Rih for 27 March 2016. This compromise resolved a harsh political confrontation based on the lack of trust in the results of Yurii Vilkul and Yurii Myloboh in the repeated voting on 15 November 2015.
The corresponding election process has officially started on 6 February, 2016. Kryvyi Rih City Election Commission, authorized to organize and conduct early election of mayor, comprise 18 persons representing 12 local cells of various political parties. Election Commission has not been actively working until now, though. However, it has already calculated an expenditure budget for Kryvyi Rih early mayoral election – 5 million 737 thousand 714 UAH, and started registering the candidates.
Thus, 16 political parties have a desire to participate in the race. A situation with nominee from the local cell of the AUU Svoboda is quite curious, as long as AUU Svoboda is not in the lust of parties, which allowed their local cells to nominated candidates, according to the corresponding list on website of the CEC.
“As for the negative factors affecting the electoral process in Kryvyi Rih, we should mention early campaigning and disproportionate coverage of public activities, initiated by potential candidates, in municipal mass media,” – stated Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA.
Somepotential election participants have already been realizing public activities which can be characterized as election campaigning, namely: Mayor of Kryvyi Rih Yurii Vilkul; MP of Ukraine, member of the Samopomich faction Semen Semenchenko; individual entrepreneur, Head of the Kryvbas Self-Defense NGO Oleh Boichenko; MP of Kryvyi Rih City Council, Head of the Ukrainian Union of Patriots – UKROP faction Mykola Kolesnyk.
“Today, major challenges may occur in the election process: misuse of administrative resource, and material incentive to the voters through local budget programs,” – says Oleksandr Kliuzhev, OPORA's analyst. Thus, Current Mayor of Kryvyi Rih Yurii Vilkul is actively using a wide-scale budget assistance program for socially disadvantaged population groups to gain benefit before the election. In fact, the assistance is provided in a form of one-time payment (500 UAH), and is widely covered by municipal media. Besides that, mass media publish loads of materials apparently containing 'dzynsa' (hidden advertising) as well as probably paid materials. However, police in Kryvyi Rih has ascertained that 5000 UAH assistance provided to the citizens does not constitute elements of a crime.
Other potential participants of early mayoral election were much less active. Potential candidate from local cell of the Samopomich Union, MP of Ukraine Semen Semenchenko participated in the Viche (public gatherings), organized meetings with local activists and was often referred to in the media. Oleh Boichenk (AUU Svoboda) and Mykola Kolesnyk (Ukrainian Union of Patriots – UKROP) have attended events dedicated to ATO area or anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.
Yet in late January 2016, outdoor advertising in the city was aimed to emphasize regional identification of various political parties, dividing them into 'local' and 'not local', in order to form a negative public opinion about political rivals.
Civil Network OPORA would like to mention that the CEC fulfills its duties concerning organization and conduct of early mayoral election in Kryvyi Rih on the corresponding level of quality. Kryvyi Rih City Election Commission works quite effectively. It adheres to the procedures despite conflicts emerging between members on its meetings.
OPORA would like to mention that local government bodies provide proper assistance in organization of the election process. State Voter Register maintenance bodies in city districts efficiently provide citizens with enough information. Law-enforcement bodies demonstrate their openness to co-operation with official observers. However, there are no wide-scale measures against possible violations of electoral legislation.
At the same time, the legal appointment of early local election in Kryvyi Rih is still followed by court challenges. Thus, the Industrial Ecology Center NGO submitted an appeal to Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court concerning illegitimacy of the decision taken by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning appointment of election in Kryvyi Rih for 3/27/2016, demanding to oblige Kryvyi Rih City Election Commission to refrain from announcing the start of election campaign. Kryvyi Rih City Election Commission has filed objection against the lawsuit. Thus, the Court has postponed consideration of this case for uncertain period. However, the City Election Commission has announced the start of election campaign in spite of the lawsuit.