Self-nominated candidates from the party in power and charitable foundations were the major trend of 2012 Parliamentary elections in Kyiv oblast. "Journalists", which resembled "bouncers" of a fashionable closed nightclub, were actively working in district election commissions. However, after all, they have chosen the easy way out, like in the election district #94, when the hero of ukraine (it's not a mistake, like hero, like letter of the country) Tetiana Zasukha came and simply said: "Slava, time to work", - and guys worked well.

This elections resembled not the democracy's feast, but fighting without rules between ancient Greek Titans, which (Mykhailo Poplavskyi and Petro Melnyk) were severely punished by "Zeus" and failed to get mandates. Whom did Kyiv citizens choose after all?

The Election District #94

One of five scandalous districts, which is recommended for re-election by both the CEC and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

According to the DEC's protocol, Tetiana Zasukha has won in this district.

Zasyha

Tetiana Zasukha – is a member of the Party of Regions, the MP of Ukraine of III, IV, and VI convocations. She has a title of the Hero of Ukraine. The decree to award the title of the Hero of Ukraine "For prominent personal services for the development of agro-industrial complex, farm management modernization, and active civic and political activities" was signed by the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma on August 21, 2003. Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations, member of International Commission on Cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, member of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Austria, member of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Swiss Confederation, doctor of agricultural sciences candidate of biological sciences.

As the MP, Tetiana Zasukha had two speeches from the sitting place, submitted three parliamentary requests, and introduced one draft law which was later adopted.

The husband of Tetiana Zasukha Anatolii – is a former Head of Kyiv Oblast State Administration, which has held the position for 9 years (September 22, 1996 – January 19, 2005), and a former Head of Kyiv Oblast Council (November, 2000 – September 6, 2001; December 9, 2004 – February 1, 2005). In 2005, Anatolii Zasukha was internationally wanted and charged with abusing his powers and falsification of documents. In 2006, the Prosecutor General’s Office has removed all charges.

The Zasukhs are living in Kovalivka village, Kyiv oblast. People talk a lot about the village and its organization. In particular, about the whole staff of yardmen and street cleaners which polish marble till it shines. The cult of the Zasukhs family reaches even the checkpoint.

Tetiana Zasukha was standing as MP candidate nominated by the Party of Regions. She even had an opponent from the same party, Mazepa Serhii Volodymyrovych, which was standing as a self-nominated candidate on the beginning of the race. Nevertheless, the subordination won and Mr. Mazepa has removed his candidacy on August 17, 2012.

According to the declaration, published on the CEC's official site, Tetiana Zasukha's total aggregate income – is 35 mln. 741 thous. 334 UAH, and her family's – 214 thous. 68 UAH. The salary – is 216 thous. 323 UAH. Tetiana Zasukha has received a financial support in the sum of 34 thous. 850 UAH. Ms. Zasukha also owns land having the area of 118 thous. 230 square meters. Family members of Tetiana Zasukha also own rather large real property – land plots having the total area of 89 thous. 529 square meters.

During the campaign period, Tetiana Zasukha didn't conduct traditional meetings with the voters, but she was present at almost every official event or feast in the districts. Even when she didn't manage to personally come, organizers conveyed greetings from her. The most remarkable was an audio greeting on the Knowledge Day in all schools of the district. All municipal newspapers were publishing materials only about her activities. Bill-boards of the other participants of the election race were destroyed.

Results

After 3 am on October 20, the DEC #94 has started openly delay the admission of the election documentation from PECs. At first, the commission head, Martyniuk Viacheslav Yuriievych, has disappeared for two hours. He came back approximately at five o'clock and some precinct commissions managed to submit the documentation. He later disappeared again till 1 pm, and Rusan Oleksii Makarovych substituted him. A member of the DEC #94 from the Party of Regions, Matkovskyi Viktor Valentynovych, has disappeared together with the Head. The DEC worked very slowly, small conflicts were constantly appearing. The most surprising was the fact that the PECs of Vasylkiv city and rayon, where Tetiata Zasukha was winning, could submit their documentation first.

Before October 30, the Obukhiv rayon court received 17 statements of a claim from different subjects of the election process (most of them from the Party of Regions, Tetiana Zasukha and a self-nominated candidate Yurii Mykhailivskyi). All 17 and claims were similar. A plaintiff, which introduced himself as an official observer from a certain subject of the election process demanded to cancel the decision of precinct election commission prohibiting him from entering the polling station. The second demand was to suspend the admission of protocols which were still not received by the DEC. Such statements of a claim were also filed to Vasylkiv rayon court. There were 11 of them.

Around 8 pm on October 30, Obukhiv rayon court tried to consider the received claims but, due to the request of the opposition, agreed to postpone the hearing to October 31. so that representatives of the defendant (precinct commissions) could come.

All claims were considered on October 31. Obukhiv rayon court has satisfied 8 claims and dismissed 8. Vasylkiv rayon court has satisfied 10 claims and dismissed one.

On November 1, representatives of Tetiana Zasukha and the Party of Regions appealed to the Kyiv Court of Appeals and have won all but one.

From 1 to3 November, the commission was conducting a vote recount in 12 polling stations.

On the night of November 3, the DEC #94, on the grounds of prohibition for official observers to be present in polling stations on the Voting day in accordance with the court decision, has annulled voting results in 28 polling stations. As long as the opposition candidate Viktor Romaniuk was leading on all these polling stations, he has lost the elections after the voting results were annulled.

The Central Election Commission informed, that voting results in the DEC #94 can't be determined, and has issued a Resolution "On impossibility of the impossibility of determining the election results of Ukrainian Parliamentary elections conducted on October 28, 2012 in single-mandate districts #94, 132, 194, 197, and 223".

On 6 November, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a resolution, in which it recommended the CEC to conduct re-election in five problematic districts.

The Election District #95

According to the results published by the CEC, Viacheslav Kutovyi, nominated by the All-Ukrainian Union Fatherland has won with the result of 23 thous. 927 votes.

Kytovui

Viacheslav Kutovyi was born in Kyiv oblast, Boyarka city, the Head of Hazovyk LLC, unaffiliated. The Hazovyk Limited Liability Company is registered on Oleg Hlobodenko, the chief accountant – is Olena Kutova.

Viacheslav Kutovyi has started his business in 1998, when he built gas station and opened auto repair station for re-equipment of vehicles to operate on propane and methane; selling gas wholesale and retail. Today, the Hazovyk LLC owns more than 500 gas stations, 12 gas stations in Kyiv, 8 in Kyiv oblast and a fleet of gas pipeline with cisterns up to 58 cubic m.

When the Hazovyk LLC was established, Dmytro Firtash together with Ihor Bakai, which was the First Deputy Head of the State Committee on Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry in Ukraine, were working in the gas industry.

According to a reliable source from the United opposition, Viacheslav Kutovyi – in the one MP candidate which had put his business at risk and participated in the elections in district #95. Nobody in the district knew personally Viacheslav Kutovyi, besides information that he is a deputy of Vyshnevska City Council and a Head of the Front for Change political party office in Vyshneve city.

According to the declaration, published on the official site of the CEC, Viacheslav Kutovyi had only one source of income in 2011 – his wages – 9 thous. 541,59 UAH (795,13 UAH monthly). Mr Kutovyi's family members have bigger income – 28 thous. 800 UAH (2 thous. 400 UAH monthly).

Mr. Kutovyi owns two land plots: 977 square m., costing 12 thous. UAH, and 1500 square m., costing 4 thous UAH, and an apartment of 80,6 square m. Viacheslav Kutovyi also has 2008 Acura MDX, costing nearly 50 thous. USD. According to the declared income, Viacheslav Kutovyi could afford such car after 7 years of honest work. His family members own 2004 Toyota RAV4. The cost of such car is nearly 33 thous. USD.

Viacheslav Kutovyi has 67 thous. 187,81 UAH in authorized fund of his enterprise.

Mr. Kutovyi also has financial liabilities (loan, credit) of 96 thous. UAH a year (8 thous. a month), which exceeds the level of total family income of 3 thous. 195, 13 UAH in a month. Interest repayment on loan (credit) of Mr. Viacheslav is 16 thous. UAH.

During the election campaign, Viacheslav Kutovyi had often conducted meetings with voters but, for some reason, he concealed that he is a businessman. He was represented in all spheres of outdoor advertising. His concerts, compared to competitor's from the Party of Regions Petro Melnyk, were quite modest.

After all, closer to the end of the election campaign, two opposition candidates, Viacheslav Kutovyi and Oleksandr Yurakov, entered into a rough competition. Mr. Yurakov was roughly criticized and accused of partnership with Perto Melnyk, because he didn't want to remove his candidacy in favor of the common opposition candidate Mr. Kutovyi. On the second day of vote counting, a candidate from the Party of Regions Petro Melnyk said: "The opposition could nominate even a monkey, it would win in this district".

Results

The Voting Day in single-mandate election district #95 was tense. Minivans with people, which tried to vote not by their voting addresses, were noticed in Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv and Irpin. The most widespread violations on the Voting Day were voting outside polling booths and giving ballots to the voters without checking their registration. In Vyshneve city, was noticed a tactic of so-called "guest artist" which were voting by "blue sweaters" scheme.

Due to the exceeding attention to the district, the commission was receiving documents during 5 days. Under the control of observers and journalists, members of the DEC were acting in accordance with the law.

For comment, please contact:
Ruslana Velychko
Electoral programs coordinator of the Civil Network OPORA
in Kyiv oblast
063 187 41 06

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 implements a large-scale campaign of long- and short term observation, organizes 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.