Volyn oblast: teachers in Lutsk are "invited" to work in headquarters of a candidate
The closer official beginning of elections is, the more campaigning techniques potential candidates use. Few months before, politicians and businessmen which want to get a seat in Parliament were actively involved in "charity activities", and now, closer to the Election day election headquarters started engaging agitators and members of the election commission.
Summarizing the information on events conducted by Charitable Foundation "New Lutsk" in May and June, we can confidently assert, that a current MP of Ukraine Ihor Palytsia will run in the election district #22, which is a Lutsk city in Volyn oblast. Although Mr. Palytsia is virtually a member of faction Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense, it's a long time since he stopped cooperation with colleagues from the opposition. Now he's supported by Lutsk Mayor Mykola Romaniuk and the Head of Volyn oblast state administration Borys Klimchuk. Both of them are constantly prising the MP for charitable activity and "getting" money for the city from the state budget. Virtually all big social and cultural events in Lutsk city are held under the patronage of Mr. Palytsia.
However, the headquarters of Ihor Palytsia has started lately preparation for elections, using the administrative resources of educational institutions in Lutsk city. In particular, this is "institutional administrative resource", i.e. using human resources and facilities, which are subordinate to local authorities and government, on behalf of individual candidates or parties, and with no access to them for all the other election competitors.
Thus, according to the information received from schools, the teachers are been invited to work in the election campaign of the MP. Chairmen of schools (directors or directors of studies) persistently persuade teachers to work in the headquarters of I. Palytsia. Developers of the scheme probably expect that teachers will influence parents of pupils in schools. Teachers will have to conduct campaign in those parts of the city where their pupils live. For some month of such work they are promised to get 4000 UAH from the headquarters, and in case the candidate wins - bonuses. We receive similar information from different schools.
As we can see, in Lutsk educational institutions is used administrative resource. Firstly, leadership of schools has no right to use its office and "help" the potential candidate to search for agitators. Secondly, conversations in style "boss and subordinate" already include the use of psychological pressure, because subordinate people rarely can refuse to do what their boss "asks" them. Participation of teachers in campaigning for the certain candidate can also be regarded as a form of pressure: all parents want their children to study well.
We are still not sure if officials of local government are also involved in this scheme, particularly the Department of Education. However, the fact that the Mayor and the Department of Education supported the program for equipping school sport grounds and gyms with training equipment and other necessary outfit, which started few months ago and is financed by Ihor Palytsia foundation, shows that officials at least helped to "bring together" people in headquarters and school directors.
Observers will continue monitoring this process in order to prevent the application of pressure on Lutsk teachers or parents of pupils.
OPORA emphasizes, that using administrative resource in favor of any candidate is the violation of legislation, and warns potential candidates and local authorities from abusing their official position.