In Vinnytsia Oblast, for candidates, criminal methods of “influence” on voters are not something they wouldn't do, informed the candidate for People's Deputy in the electoral district No.13 Mykola Katerynchuk (the All-Ukrainian Union Fatherland) during the press conference in Vinnytsia. Also, Mykola Katerynchuk showed the journalists a video where it can be seen in detail how votes were being bought up in the villages of the district in favour of one of the candidates, whom, according to Mykola Katerynchuk, local authorities stand for. The candidate showed a testimony of a Polish businessman, video recorded, who spoke about how another candidate had once tricked him.

Also, the representatives of the candidate showed a picture where it was recorded how competitors behaved with the invitations for a meeting with Katerynchuk in the villages of the district.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNCVfOX-7Dc&feature=channel&list=UL

“It's a shame that massive buying of votes is accompanied by intimidation. 80% of my meetings took place in the streets, outdoors — clubs were closed, and we weren't even allowed in schools. Announcements about our meetings were torn off immediately, people dissuading villages from coming to a meeting with Katerynchuk walked from village to village, and some were openly intimidated. There were cases when, for example, a headmaster of one of the schools, through his pupils, passed to their parents that once they came to the meeting with me, their children would have problems at school. In Samhorodok, our announcements about the meeting, torn off the posts, for some reason, were found at the cemetery,” informed Mykola Katerynchuk.

Halyna Seheda,
Press Secretary of the Civil Network OPORA
in Vinnytsia Oblast
097 705 23 66
 
For comment, please contact:
Oleh Levchenko
Regional Coordinator of the Civil Network OPORA
in Vinnytsia Oblast
063 777 02 05
 

Reference

Civic monitoring conducted by OPORA - is a type of network activity, aimed at impartial assessment of the preparation and conduct of elections, as well as preventing violations through comprehensive civic action. Professional monitoring at all stages of the election process indirectly influences the quality of the campaign. The public opinion, both foreign and domestic is formed through gathering and spreading of information among the target audience.  
From a strategic perspective public monitoring of elections focuses upon improving the system and certain procedures.  
In 2012, during Parliamentary elections in Ukraine OPORA is carrying out a large-scale campaign of long- and short term observation, organizing a statistical vote-count by the results of voting with the proportional component of the electoral system on a basis of representative selection, will provide 100% coverage of polling stations by observers in separate single-mandate majoritarian districts. OPORA observers will work in all 225 electoral districts, and 3,500 activists will join them on the voting day. Organization will use the latest means of spreading information on observation results, including infographics and interactive maps.