Expert Poll “Local Elections – 2010”
Expert evaluation of the course and features of the election campaign was conducted in 13 regions of Ukraine, based on the resource potential of leading regional analytical centers and monitoring organizations.
In general, the results of the study confirm the general preliminary hypotheses about the distorted nature of political competition, the uneven access of different entities of the election campaign to various resources and mechanisms stipulated by the legislation and international standards of election campaigns, the significant use of various forms of administrative resources in all journalism and the respects.
In most regions, traditional actors – political projects of national character (Party of Regions, Batkivshchyna “,” Strong Ukraine “,” Front of Changes “,” Svoboda “,” Single Center “, CPU) and local political players take part in the electoral process. Only one of these parties – the ruling PR – covers virtually the electoral process through all regions to local councils of all levels. Also under the Party of Regions there is dominance in TEC, both in total number of members and in the number of management positions.
At the same time, most experts give a rather low assessment of the quality of TEC work. First, the proportion of TEC members who do not have experience in election commissions remains high. At the same time, despite the active course of the election campaign, in fact, since August 2010, many TECs in violation of the electoral legislation were quite late as legal entities – and accordingly were unable to obtain a seal, open accounts, receive funds provided for their activities and effectively start work on the election process. These delays in some places led to conflict situations and even confrontations between the subjects of the electoral process.
Another teasing theme of this election campaign is the use of administrative resources. Unfortunately, we must state the widespread use of political assistance, manipulation, pressure and abuse of office in the election process in all the regions under study. Even the regions where competing political forces are in power demonstrate a high degree of administering in the election campaign. The most existing influence schemes the current party of power.
Also, unfortunately, we must state the high involvement of the press in election campaigns and the actual absence (or single) media that provide balanced unbiased information about different (competing) participants in the electoral process. Most of the municipal media, despite the declared independent position, is another platform for agitation of the current local authorities.
All of these trends are analyzed in more detail in the study “Conscious Choice – 2010”, made by the Civic Assembly of Ukraine and a network of reforms support with the assistance of the International Renaissance Foundation.
Show the results of the survey
