These are Civil Network OPORA's monitoring results of nomination and registration of candidates for participation in local elections in united territorial communities. However, an independent assessment of the process in 176 villages and settlements will be presented later.
Thus, election of city heads and councilors embrace 25 territorial communities in 14 oblasts. City communities participating in 29 October 2017 election are divided among Ukrainian oblasts: Ternopil, Chernihiv oblasts – 3 cities in each oblast; Zhytomyr, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Khmelnytsk, Cherkasy oblasts – 2; Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad. Chernivtsi oblasts – 1.
There are 120 candidates registered for local elections in all communities without exception, including 80 candidates nominated by local party cells and 40 nominated independently. Only 4 of 25 city communities have more independent mayoral candidates than candidates, nominated by local party cells (Lokhvytsia city community, Poltava obl.; Zashkiv city community, Cherkasy obl.; Pomichna city community, Kirovohrad obl.; Ichnia city community, Chernihiv obl.). In all other cities, the number of mayoral candidates nominated by parties is higher than independent ones.
8 cities have more than 5 mayoral candidates, and 17 – less than 5.
According to OPORA's analysts, only one of 25 cities has a “no alternative” candidate for mayor, registered for participation in 29 October 2017 elections in united territorial communities. The candidate is nominated in Trostianets city community (Sumy obl.), and since there are no other candidates, he will need to gain a half plus one vote to win the election.
The list of parties, which have submitted election lists for city council elections, is quite competitive. Only 2 of 25 communities have less than 10 registered lists, and all the other cities have nominations from 10 and more parties.
13 of 50 parties, which have approved participation of their local cells in 29 October local elections, didn't submit any electoral lists in city council election. 11 of 50 parties have submitted their electoral lists in more than 10 cities. 8 political parties gave their electoral lists only for one city, 18 parties – in 2-9 cities.
Nevertheless, local cells of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc “Solidarity”, Radical Party of Oleh Liashko, AUU Batkivshchyna and Agrarian Party of Ukraine have nominated the candidates for members of city councils in all 25 cities.
The following parties didn't submit their party lists for city council elections: Social and Political Platform of Nadiya Savchenko, United Center, Solidarity of Ukrainian Women, New Policy, Real Deeds party, Ukrainian Orthodox Assembly, Christian Democratic Union, Republican party, the Order party, Native Home, Democratic Party of Ukraine, Stability party, Pobratymy Ukrainy.
The following parties have submitted their election lists in only one city: Democratic Alliance, Volia Narodu, Mykola Tomenko's civic movement “Ridna Kraina”, People's Party, Strong Ukraine etc.
The biggest number of mayoral candidates was nominated by local cells of Petro Poroshenko Bloc (14 cities), AUU Batkivshchyna (13 cities), and AUU Svoboda (12 cities. Samopomich Union and Radical Party of Oleh Liashko nominated mayoral candidates in 9 and 8 cities respectively. Parties Opposition Bloc, Ukrainian Union of Patriots – UKROP, and Agrarian Party of Ukraine nominated mayoral candidates in 4, 3, and 3 cities respectively. All the other parties nominated mayoral candidates in less than 3 cities.
OPORA's observers will secure an independent non-partisan observation of the first local elections in united territorial communities. The organization has deployed 69 long-term observers to the territorial communities, and short-term observers will join them right before the voting begins.