In his interview with the representative of OPORA, the Head of election office of the United opposition in Sumy oblast Oleksandr Lysenko told about the pressure on opposition and exclusion of the independent candidates from the party
Are there any instances of pressure on the representatives of opposition in Sumy region?
Yes, there are. Our candidates are not allowed to be present at the meetings with voters - oblast and rayon administration put obstacles. The teachers, school principals, and the heads of village councils also experience pressure. Bilopillia rayon is one of the examples. We were contacted and told that the events in the local house of culture would not take place if there were any mentions of the United opposition Fatherland.
We conducted an opened football championship in Kovpakivskyi rayon of Sumy city. The representatives of Krasnopillia were not allowed to take part in the championship, because it was held with the support of opposition.
There were instances of the black PR in the local media against our candidate Volodymyr Shulha.
Also, in the voting district #158 (with center in Bilopillia city) was registered a namesake of the member of the Fatherland party Oleksandr Volkov - a tractor driver Oleksandr Volkov. It is a technology.
If to talk about twins, other candidates also suffer from this. There is a similar example in the constituency #160 (with center in Shostka city), where is registered a "clone" of Shostka city Mayor and member of the Party of Regions Mykola Noha...
Yes, I know about this.
And what about the independent candidates? In three voting districts of Sumy oblast are registered the candidates, who are the members or the Fatherland party or other political powers and who simultaneously pertain to the United opposition. For example, in the constituency #157 (Sumy city) the only candidate from opposition is Oleh Medunytsia. But there are also independent candidates - Vira Motrechko (the Fatherland) and Oleksandr Perchakov (the Front of Changes).
We have already expelled from the party all independent candidates. First they were rebuked by the oblast party organization and then expelled from the party. Here we talk about Nadia Soldatenko and Mykola Andrusenko in the voting district #161 (with center in Romny city), and about Vira Motrechko in the voting district #157. They are expelled for violation of the party discipline and the congress decision about coordination of candidates from the United opposition.
Do you plan to expel from the party an independent candidate Oleksandr Volkov?
We found out about the other independent candidates only from the Central Election Commission. And Oleksandr Volkov has coordinated his actions with the party administration.
He is registered as an independent candidate because in this district there is no candidate at all.
Everyone, who wanted to become an independent candidate, was given a possibility to come to Kyiv and explain his position. As far as I know, others did not use this opportunity.
We remind that on August 8 Volodymyr Tokar, who is an independent candidate in the voting district #158, was expelled from the Front of Changes party. http://oporaua.org/news/1948-sumshchyna-pershe-vykljuchennja-z-partiji-za-samovysuvannja
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