Chernihiv “Zagoriv”: in our elections are actually measured by Poroshenko and Kolomoisky forces
The course of the pre-elections in the Chernihiv 205th County does not tire of amazing. There were already blocked cars allegedly from the money for the bribery of voters, and daily distribution of grocery rations, and straight or hidden agitation at almost every turn of local newspapers, and fights with broken teeth.
Yevgeny Romanenko is a local coordinator of the OPORA Civic Network, which has been monitoring the election process in Ukraine for over 10 years. He tells why, 130 kilometers from Kiev, politicians have chosen tactics that it is difficult to imagine in the capital. And he anticipates that this is not all their surprises.
– The main impression of the current election campaign in Chernihiv is a new bottom.
– I will not deny. Chernihiv is small, everyone here knows all. And suddenly two nuclear “parachutes” descend and begins that it does not fit on the head.
One tells that product soldering is not a bribery of voters, but only help. Another tells that he only has agitators, and no one gives out money. Everyone understands that it is not true, but it is impossible to prove by law that it is a crime.
There is “UKROP”, a political party. There is Gennady Korban, who is associated with “UKROP”. And there is a charitable organization “UKROP”, which is associated with “Ukrop” – a political party. The buckwheat is published by the charity, and the billboards that they were “asphalted, rebuilt, provided, and brought” the city had arrived too. But Corban goes out and says, “I don’t know these people. They do something and I support them, but who these people, I don’t know …”
Berezenko has another situation, there is a classic agitation pyramid. That is, the agitator, “tens”, “hundreds” – election classics from the time of Yanukovych. Then it was done by social workers, now – purely financial encouragement. The ordinary agitator receives 400 UAH, the “donation” receives 1000 UAH. How many “hundreds” receive, I do not know. Two of my acquaintances got into this pyramid system. I received insider information from them, but of course, none of them will say that it works there because it is a criminal article immediately. Officially, there is a “social agreement” – a simple piece of paper, where the candidate agrees with a volunteer who has received agitation and simply distributes it. There are no financial issues there, but to prove that under this social agreement a person receives money, that a person has somehow sold their vote for this social agreement.
– What are the new features of this election in Chernihiv?
– In the previous elections, we mainly recorded the facts of indirect bribery of voters – concerts, street actions, agitation in inappropriate places. And if someone made a “black” postcard against someone-there was a explosion immediately, “how can you?!”, And a press conference with a full press hall. And here they use suproned technologies, and everyone seems to be clean and have everyone for fools. Even Samopomich went the same way as Korban. They also have food, charitable events, health fairs, English courses, legal advice. Everything is free of charge under the sign “Self -help”. Only units of candidates try to work honestly.
Another feature: the actual election leaders are not local, their lives have not intersected with Chernihiv. What will they do here? What will the city have this?
People are very tired of this election campaign. I do not know what the appearance will be in this election, but I think, low. Moreover, we never had an election in the summer. And Chernihiv is a very provincial city, there is someone in the villages. In the summer, people go to the village on weekends, and whoever has no relatives there goes to rest for the gums.
– Law enforcement officers are somehow responding to voter bribery attempts?
– They are surprised at all, took such a soft position that they are out of everything. Even when they stopped the car with the allegedly money for voters and kept it for a day – the police did nothing, did not open it, did not search. There is a bunch of questions that it is: unprofessionalism, involvement, or dumb money? In addition, a lot of silky people gathered in the night crowd, according to our observations, every second weapon. Imagine the situation if you suddenly started some “felling”? The police could already do anything.
– Saakashvili came to Chernihiv last Sunday. What was it?
– I have the same impression: “What was it?” I was there and saw the governor of Valery Kulich, because of which it all started, because in the past elections he won in the 205th district. The BPP candidate Serhiy Berezenko sat, and in the hall-Vladislav Atroshenko, who won the election in the 206th district and actually heads Petro Poroshenko’s headquarters in the region. Obviously, they are involved in Saakashvili’s visit than other politicians. In general, everything is quite obvious: what is happening in Chernihiv – the reasoning between the President and Igor Kolomoisky.
– In the midst of the variety of black PR in this election, there was something that particularly affected you?
– There was one incident. At night, agitators like to scatter the “black”. I went into the porch very early in the morning, I see, hanging a portrait of Leonid Chernovetsky with a slogan: “Vote for my set Sergei Berezenko.” There was another blank announcement about Korban, where he was painted in the image of Sharikov. But all these things are so fast cleaned that it usually does not remain for the people when the people wake up and go to work.
– Do Korban and Berezenko are the leaders of the race?
– According to tradition, in Chernihiv, who gives more buckwheat, he wins. Both headquarters are well funded, they make sociological sections, they see and understand these things. And in 2006 Vladislav Atroshenko himself became a deputy thanks to such schemes of product rations. In the 207th district, this path was chosen by Igor Rybakov. On the 208th in 2014, a candidate from the Procession was won, which actively sowed people with buckwheat and money. Who is feeding – he becomes a deputy with us.
But now the situation is somewhat different because one feeds and the other gives money. There is an intrigue who wins.
-In Kiev, Oles Long in 2012 fed people with buckwheat, but did not pass. In Lviv, too, they actively tried to bribe people – it was not possible.
– And Chernihiv region is one of the most depressed regions in Ukraine, and it is the oldest region. The average age of the population is very high even in Chernihiv, and in the region – even higher. And we, unlike Western Ukraine, have no border with rich countries. Belarus and Russia are not very developed, and the latter is still unfriendly. There is no powerful transportation and tourist units. There are no industries that would feed and create something. And the farther from the regional center, the worse. If there is a new moon to the village, it is very good. I lived in Ternopil region, and if we compare our villages and their ones, these are different worlds. Therefore, the buckwheat here will work and work.
So it turns out. My parents have a pension for UAH 1300. For people like them, a kilogram of buckwheat and sugar is already a serious cost. And the product set that will allow the family to stay day or three, is already considered value. After all, the following logic can work in the elections: if I do not vote, then the next time I can get nothing.
– How to get out of the pathological situation “voice for buckwheat and buckwheat for voice”?
– I do not see simple exits because the situation is very difficult. There are several directions at once. The first is the work of law enforcement agencies. The “Opora” recently conducted a study how many violations were found and how much the courts reached. So, about 400 were recorded, and the courts were only 13. If the police do not work effectively if the cases are descended on the brakes, then all violations in the electoral will work effectively.
The second is the necessary normal election legislation. We have not elections, the electoral law changes; Every time they approve that the most favorable actors. It is clear that in the next local elections the law will change again.
Next is a majority. It is necessary to make parameters about the exit of the candidate from the territory where he is selected. “Parachutists” is a shameful phenomenon.
In addition, you should do a huge job with the people themselves. At least a minimal educational campaign. Not at the level of naive round tables, but serious information actions in the hinterland. In people who have survived such cataclysms as war, malnutrition, the collapse of the country, this care of the instinct of self -preservation, it will overcome everything. I don’t think it is possible to change something here. It is important to focus on people under 40 to break the generations of generations in this sense. After all, if you do not interfere, these people will become the same as their parents. Therefore, we need to offer an alternative understanding of the election process, representative offices and so on.
And, of course, general changes in the state. These are all the same long -suffering reforms that we are already heard and tired of talking about, but which are not particularly visible.
– In the fall there will be local elections. Now you can see any serious candidates?
-I think, now many candidates have come to the election in the 205th district to declare themselves and to open their muscles on the eve of local elections, or to “roll” some new election technologies. For example, Igor Andriychenko from Demaliance or Self -help – they are not the leaders of the race, but they work very actively, earn some advantages for the next elections.
– You say that you have a lot of evidence of violations, but there is no proper investigation. What to do in this situation?
– It is necessary to speak about them in society, to give it a public that people who are involved in these dirty technologies felt that there are their rejection. At least this option. Well, separately, as I said, the proper work of law enforcement.
Because we write statements to them, they are accepted – and then they are simply closed, saying that there is no crime. If they want to close, they will always find the reason – you can always add or lose something, there would be a desire.
There is now a great threat of force confrontation on the election day. In October 2012, Yanukovych, “journalists” from Bila Tserkva, came to us in the 207th district, but they “punished” and went, and they did not appear on people. Now there are many such people around the city. It is often the case that a whole crowd of chunky young people gathers from nowhere. It remains only to hope that on the day of the election will cost without force confrontations.
