OPORA found forged vote count protocols at nine polling stations in the Novobavarsky city district of Kharkiv.

It transpired after analyzing the protocols of precinct election commissions that were available to OPORA, and of the protocol of the Novobavarskaya city district TEC.

OPORA representatives were observers at 19 polling stations in the Novobavarsky district and received the vote-counting protocols. After comparing these protocols with the TEC protocol, it was found out that the protocols on the election results in favor of the mayoral candidate, Ihor Terekhov, were falsified at 9 polling stations. OPORA monitors the establishment of election results at all levels: at the level of a polling station, and the TEC. Observers did not find any TEC decisions to recount votes at these polling stations.

Violations were detected at polling stations No. 631180, 631193, 631197, 631201, 631205, 631211, 631177, 631189, 631200.

As a result, the number of votes for candidates Konstantin Nemichev and Oleksandr Skoryk decreased by 160 and 237, respectively, and Terekhov's support grew by 397 votes.

It is worth noting the following trend: in those polling stations where the TEC protocol indicated that Skoryk and Nemichev received 0 or 1 vote, in the PEC protocols received by OPORA observers, the number of votes was much higher.

Earlier, OPORA observers recorded the fact of falsification of a vote count protocol at the polling station No.631675, which is located on 1 Lymansky Ave.1 in the Osnovyansky city district of Kharkiv.

These facts may contain signs of a crime stipulated in part 2 of Article 158-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, for forgery or illegal production of election documents, referendum documents, use or storage of illegally produced or forged election documents, referendum documents, as well as inclusion in election documents or referendum documents the knowingly inaccurate information.

On the basis of all the revealed facts of falsification of the vote count protocols, OPORA wrote a statement for the police.

OPORA has repeatedly stressed that in local elections there is a pertinent need to promptly and fully publish election results from the polling station level. It could prevent possible misunderstandings or the irregularities in determining the winners.

For comments, please contact:

Mykola Zinchenko, coordinator of election observation of the Civil Network OPORA in Kharkiv region
+38 099 788 3660