The Central Election Commision (CEC) has created 213 district election commissions (DECs) on the continental territory of Ukraine, based on lists of nomitees for the membership of district election commissions during the election of the President of Ukraine, submitted by presidential candidates with all the necessary documents attached. Also the CEC recognized the fact that it is impossible to form 12 DECs in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol due to absence of submissions of nominees for composition of DECs by presidential candidates and an the inability of the preparation of elections on these territories based on the principles of the electoral process.
21 presidential candidates out of 23 submitted nominees for composition of DECs. Two of them, namely Andriy Grynenko and Valeriy Konovaluk did not delegate their representatives to DECs. According to law, nominees of each candidate receive a share of leadership positions due to the proportion of the number of submitted nominees to DECs. If a candidate fills in all nominations to DECs, then his or her nominees receive 11 offices in each category (head, deputy head and secretary of a commission). The lower is the number of submitted nominees, the less leadership positions candidate’s nominees receive. In particular, the biggest number of heads of DECs belong to the nominees of O. Bohomolets, Y. Boyko , A. Grytsenko, A. Klymenko , N. Korolevska , V. Kuibida, O. Liashko, P. Poroshenko, P. Symonenko , Y. Tymoshenko , O. Tiahnybok , V. Tsushko , Z. Shkiriak and D. Yarosh. Most of the leadership positions in DECs in total (head, deputy head and secretary) belongs to nominees of O. Liashko, P. Poroshenko , Y. Tymoshenko, V. Tsushko and D. Yarosh. Even though the maximum number of posts in each category is 11, candidates’ nominees of O. Lyashko and P. Poroshenko received 12 deputy head and secretary positions. The chairman of the CEC M. Okhendovskyi stressed that such an allocation of posts in DECs was matched with the help of a unified information-analytical system "Elections” and its subsystem “Presidential elections in Ukraine".
M. Okhendovskyi noted that 67% of nominees to DECs have working experience in election commissions. According to M. Okhendovskyi, a clear regress could be seen, while nominees of 2014 are less prepared for work comparing to nominees to DECs for elections in 2010 and 2012. “In some regions of Ukraine the Central Election Commission was simply obliged to appoint people to leadership positions in DECs, who had no relevant prior experience", - said M. Okhendovskyi.
The composition of DECs consists of 4164 members. Among them 52 % are men and 48 % are women. 83% of DEC members have a higher education. 43 % are aged 40 to 60, only 3% are under 20. Also 26 DECs have the biggest allowed number of members (21 persons). On the other hand, only one DEC has the smallest allowed number of members (16 persons) in elections district #155 in Rivne region. Moreover, four DECs have a composition of 17 members.
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 electoral violations through comprehensive civic action. Since March, OPORA conducts a wide observation campaign during snap Presidential election, interim Parliamentary elections (district #83), and special local elections. The organization cooperates with 175 long-term observers, who are watching the course of election campaign in all Ukrainian regions. On the election day on May 25, 3,000 activists will join them to conduct the parallel vote tabulation, based on statistical sample.