Committee of voters of Ukraine is a non-governmental civic organization which monitors the May 25 elections of the President of Ukraine. On the Election Day on polling stations, district and territorial election commissions and in mobile groups work more then 4000 CVU observers, involved to observation by mobilization campaign “I am an observer!”
Elections in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Donetsk oblast:
In Donetsk oblast situation with voting process slightly improved. Many polling stations began receiving voters lists and ballot papers.
In some cities voting process has began.
Trouble spots remain to be towns of Dokuchaevsk and Vugledar (election district 61), Donetsk (donetsk 41-45), where not a single polling station has opened.
As a whole turnout in Donetsk oblast as of 11:00 reached 4,75% (the percentage is calculated from the number of voters included in voters lists of open polling stations).
In Donetsk oblast, 514 polling stations of 2430 are open. Leaders include Mariupol (districts 58,59), where 203 polling stations have opened, Pershotravnevy, Oleksandrivsky, Dobropilsky and Volodarsky rayons, towns Dymytriv and Dobropillya.
47 district (Oleksandrivka) – only 9 of 114 polling stations opened, in two PECs head and secretary resigned, but commissions decided to continue their work.
1412 persons voted. As of 11:00 turnout - 9,31% of number of voters, included in voters lists of 19 open polling stations (of total 15171 polling stations). There are 142 367 voters totally in the 47 district.
49 district (Dobropillya) – in Dobropillya town, only 8 polling stations failed to open, as well as one more polling station in Dobropillya rayon.
77 of 109 polling stations are open. 7038 voters expressed their will, out of 100337 (7,01%), voters included in voters lists of the 77 open polling stations. There are totally 153667 voters in the 49 district.
50 district (Krasnoarmijsk). Only 55 of 137 polling stations opened. 1303 of 23210 voters, included in voters lists of the 55 open polling stations, expressed their will. There are totally 161 651 voters in the district.
Besides: head of DEC №50 did not show at work because of illness. The DEC works normally, deputy head of DEC performs duties of the head. DEC №50 security is provided sufficiently.
58 district (Mariupol) – only 4 polling stations did not open (112 of 116 polling stations do work).
As of 11:00 6 973 persons of 162 457 voters, included in voters lists of the open polling stations, expressed their will (4,29%). Total number of voters in the 58 district – 167 801.
59 district (Mariupol) — 91 polling stations opened, 7 polling stations do not work. As of 11:00 7 289 persons of 157 830 voters, included in voters lists of the open polling stations, expressed their will. (4,62%). Total number of voters in the 59 district – 168 676.
60 district (Maryanka) – in Velykonovoselkivsky rayon 48 of 49 polling stations received voters lists and wait for ballot papers. Voting did not start.
61 district (Volnovakha) — as of 11:00 all polling stations in Dokuchaevsk stopped their work. According to the head of DEC№61, in the morning of May 25 representatives of “Donetska narodna Respublica” (DNR) came to 4 polling stations and showed “decree of the republic cabinet of ministers” stating that the elections should not be held and are illegal. They started to destroy documents, ballot boxes, stamps. After that, DNR representatives went to the central square of the city and declared that if polling stations will go on in organizing elections, DNR representatives will destroy not equipment, but people. As a result, as of 11:00 none of 13 polling stations of Dokuchaevsk town does not work.
In Vugledar town, none of the 7 polling stations works, following the corresponding decision of city authorities.
In district 61, 87 of 123 polling stations are open. As of 11:00 739 persons 43 675 voters, included in voters lists of the open polling stations, expressed their will (1,69%). Total number of voters in the 61 district – 142 864.
62 district (Starobeshevo) – 73 of 140 polling stations are open. As of 11:00 765 persons of 34 287 voters, included in voters lists of the open polling stations, expressed their will (2,23%). Total number of voters in the 62 district – 129103.
Luhansk oblast.
In election district №114 ballot papers were not delivered to Slovyanoserbsky and Stanychno-Luhansky rayon, none of polling stations are open. Polling stations are closed following police insisting, as police believes that it is not able to provide delivery and security of ballot papers. It is worth noting, that up to May 24 12 polling stations worked in Stanychno-Luhansky rayon, and 32 more - in Slovyanoserbsky rayon. In particular, these polling stations received funds for fuel.
Besides, yesterday worked PECs located in Novopskovsky rayon 440 286 (Kostyantynivka, Pelageivka, Sosnivka), 440296 (Trembachovo), 440297 (Rogova), they received stamps and funds for fuel, but they did not come for ballot papers. It is said that they were intimidated. However, polling station 440 301 (Makartetyne village) opened. Hough before residents said there will be no elections. PEC of polling station 440040 (Baranykivka, Bilovodsky rayon) did not receive ballot papers as well.
One of Svatove polling stations was approached by a group of Ukrainian army military men, who were not in the voters list. They asked for ballot papers, stating that it is allegedly provided by recent amendments to the law “On elections of the President of Ukraine”. The PEC refused to give them ballot papers based on subparagraph 3 of article 35 of the law “On elections of the President of Ukraine”.
In Luhansk region, there was an attack on members of PEC 440265. As a result attackers seized 30 ballot papers.
Handing out ballot papers, voting.
Kharkiv oblast: handing out ballot papers and voting as a whole are held in accordance with the established procedures, however, two violations were recorded: PEC №631073 of TED №178 at 9:10 was approached by a woman-voter who is on the list for home voting, and asked to vote at the polling station, because she was worried that she will not be find at home. She was let to vote and ballot paper was put into the ballot box designed to home voting. Besides, at PEC 3631557 of TED №174 t was registered that head of the commission did not took all ballot papers from the safe.
Volyn oblast: at PEC №070296 of DEC №23 in Zhydychin village of Kivertsivsky rayon member of PEC (nominated from candidate in President Petro Symonenko) spoiled more then 50 ballot papers. The member, when handing out ballot papers to voters, wrote not his surname on the ballot papers, but surnames of the voters. That is violation of paragraph 6 of article 71 of the “On elections of the President of Ukraine”.
Ivano-Frankivsk oblast:
On some polling stations (in particular, PEC 260860 of TED 84) ballot papers for presidential elections and midterm parliamentary elections are handed out at different desks. Voters leave the polling station after receiving one ballot paper. Such cases may be interpreted as a technology to lower turnout for one of the elections — presidential or parliamentary.
Cases of handing out ballot papers based on documents not provided by the law
Kharkiv oblast: one voter who did not want to be identified stated that revealed voting on behalf of him, but states that he did not vote himself.
Mykolaiv oblast: polling station 480889 (TED 129) — in the voters lists, a woman is included with her maiden surname, but she has a passport with a new surname. Commission members decided that this is a technical inaccuracy and made changes in the voters list based only on a stamp in the passport of her husband.
A voter brought out an empty ballot paper, an act was drawn up. There are registered cases of ballot papers handing out based on pensioners' certificate. In Mykolaiv cities long lines were frequent, as well as voting of two persons in one ballot booth, bad technical conditions for observers and mass media representatives. At polling station 480917 (TED 130) allegedly ballot papers were handed out to a group (about 20 persons) of military men based on military IDs, though the military men were absent in voters lists (no inclusions to the lists were made). In such a way, a group of persons was given ballot papers without legal reasons.
Odesa oblast: throughout Odesa it is registered that voters are massively included to the voters lists for mayoral elections: there are more voters in these lists then in the lists for presidential elections. At such polling stations voter receive ballot papers for mayoral elections only. They are not included to the list for presidential elections. Such cases are reported to the CVU “hot line”. On polling station № 511234 (district № 136 — Malynovsky rayon) there are 6 voters more on the lists for local elections hen in those for presidential. On polling station№ 511285 (district № 137 — Prymorsky rayon) the same, there are 6 voters more on the lists for local elections hen in those for presidential.
Lviv oblast:
TED № 117, polling station 461880 – 2 persons wanted to vote based of their pensioners' certificates, and one more - with a photocopy of such certificate, but PEC members explained, that it is impossible. A person who came to the polling station drunk was taken out by policemen.
TED № 120 (Lviv)
At polling station 1968 head of the commission does not transfer ballot papers as according to the law (all at once time, distributed proportionally among commission members), there are cases that 10 ballot papers at a time are transferred.
At one of the district polling station there are cases when PEC members work under the influence of alcohol.
In the same district, polling station 462097 – ink for the stamp are of different, not standard color.
Voters turnout exceeds 25%.
Cases of queues, violation of secrecy of voting, group voting.
Kharkiv oblast: sometimes there are long lines, as reported by an observer at TED 183, the reason is insufficient number of desks for commission members who hand out ballot papers. There are no registered cases of violation of secrecy of voting, group voting
Mykolaiv oblast: polling stations №480909, 480746, (TED 130), №480784 (TED 129), 480827 (TED 130) — voters come into ballot booths together.
Cases of hight number of voters in lists for home voting
As a whole, number of of voters in lists for home voting is average for elections (2-3%). However, there are individual cases when such lists include very hight percentage of voters. In particular, on polling stations of Rivne oblast: polling station 560798 (TED № 158) – 23%; 560927 – 35%, 560980 – 34%, 560930 – 33%, 560978 – 31% (TED № 154).
The quality of the voter lists, cases of including voters in the list of voters on the election day
Cherkasy oblast:
PEC № 710 982. Observers report that voters that live at Pasterivska, 11 St were not included in the voters list. The chairman of the election commission says that the the half of the inhabitants are not included. However, resident state that no one is included. Voters received invitations and therefore did not check the lists. They can receive ballot papers for local elections only.
In addition, the preliminary list of voters received by PEC had 100 people more than in updated list received before the Election Day. In fact, commission received 100 extra ballot papers.
Conditions for official observers and other participants, cases of obstruction observers
Kharkiv oblast: In general conditions for official observers and other present persons are satisfactory. No cases of obstruction of the CVU observers were registered, except PEC 631193 of TEC 176, where the election commission prohibited an official CVU observer to take photos of the voting process.
Mykolaiv oblast: problematic PEC 480909 (No work conditions provided for observers. Polling station is located in a basement, windows are closed, it is hot, there are queues, there are no chairs for observers. Election commission prevents the observation. The observer for candidate in mayor of Mykolaiv is takes photo with his phone of numbers of seals of the ballot boxes.
Odesa oblast: PEC 511311 had not enough seals for ballot boxes. PEC sealed one ballot box with a tape.
Emergencies at the polling stations, other violations of election law.
Kharkiv oblast: PEC 631 694 of TEC № 173. The former head of the commission, who is the representative of the candidate P.Poroshenko, contacted the CVU oblast branch. It is likely that the DEC or candidate’s headquarters failed to warn about the replacement of the head of the commission. Therefore, a preparatory meeting began at 7:15 and was headed by the former chairman, refusing to delegate his powers to the newly appointed head. Due to this, at 12:00 newly appointed head could not take up his duties.
Mykolaiv oblast: TEC 129. Police was informed of the bombs placed in schools# 10 (PECs 480 817 and 480 818), # 19 (PECs 480 835 and 480 836), # 26 (№ 480 820, 480 821 and 480 822). While the policemen with dogs searched the premises, Voters were evacuated, members of the commission remained on the ground.
Odesa oblast: PEC № 511356. There was an attempt to put the polling station on fire, the Molotov cocktail was thrown.
Cherkasy oblast:
PEC № 710 700 School, Heronymivka: ballot boxes were sealed not with seals, transferred by the DECs, but by the pieces of paper with signatures of the members of the commission. It is not, in fact, a violation, but a peculiarity, that was not supposed to happen.
PEC № 710 019 According to an observer at the station, shortly after the beginning of voting, lists of inhabitants of three houses went missing. Police and Security Service were already called to the scene.
PEC № 710 511 (Smilyansk district, Balakleya) according to the reports of observers and mass media, posters with information about the candidates for President of Ukraine have not been posted and lay in a pile separately.
Volyn oblast:
At polling station №071034 (TEC 22) in Lutsk, two drunk men wrecked information posters.
Actions of the intruders are qualified as hooliganism, Chapter 173 of Administrative Code. In addition, if drug clinic experts will confirm the intoxication, the persons will be subject of administrative reports according to the Chapter178 (drinking beer, alcoholic beverages in places prohibited by law or appearance in public drunk) of Criminal Code.
Zhytomyr oblast:
Attempts to carry out bullet papers were registered, possibly for the organization of carousel, or maybe just a hooligan act, because the man had condoms with water with him, which he wanted to throw at the commission members (district 63, PEC 181443). Violator was arrested, no one was hurt.
Sumy oblast:
28 PECs refused to hold local elections in Sumy, not putting corresponding control sheet to the ballot boxes. They explained this decision by the fact that they are not paid to do it.
CVU Press service
