As of 3:00 PM on 31 October, conflicts are still being reported during the determination of voting results in districts #49 and #59 (Donetsk obl.), #132 (Mykolaiv obl.), #140 (Odesa obl.), and #182 (Kherson obl.). At the same time, OPORA's observers have also reported incidents occurring in other districts, particularly in district #63, 67 (Zhytomyr obl.); #74 (Zaporizhia obl.); #133, 134, 137, 138, 139, and 142 (Odesa obl.); #166 (Ternopil obl.); and #198 (Cherkasy obl.). In these districts, candidates demanded to re-count votes at polling stations by submitting complaints to election commissions or to the court.
The situation in district #59 (Donetsk obl.) is the most acute. The district election commission has even ruled to transfer its meeting to Kyiv city. On 30 October, the CEC has substituted 3 members of the DEC #59, including the Head. Other members of the Commission took this decision quite negatively. Members of the DEC reported that candidates put them under pressure, and left for Kyiv with all the electoral documents, escorted by law-enforcement bodies. According to the operative information, members of the DEC #59 are to be in Kyiv later this day and continue the meeting. The DEC #59 has processed 75% of protocols on voting results in single-mandate district.
Another conflict between members of the DEC #49 (Donetsk obl.) stopped the processing of PEC protocols by the Commission. On 30 October, the CEC passed a decision to substitute the Deputy Head and the Secretary of the DEC #49, located in the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk oblast. As a result, nine members of the DEC had resigned. Six of them declared that they will not work with new Deputy Head of the DEC Volodymyr Lihostaiev, nominated by the Our Ukraine party. According to the commission members, Lihostaiev participated in organization of DPR pseudo-referendum in the city of Kostiantynivka, and was official observer of the Opposition Block before appointment as the Deputy Head of the DEC. On 31 October 2014, the CEC substituted Volodymyr Lihostaiev with another representative of the Our Ukraine party and, as a result, the conflicts between DEC members were ceased. However, the DEC #49 has processed only 59% of PEC protocols.
There's still a possibility that the determination of voting results will be disrupted in the district #140 (Odesa obl.). On 31 October, the ruling of the Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeals concerning cancellation of the CEC resolution of 10/27/2014 on withdrawal of DEC members entered into operation. We remind that members of the DEC including those holding managerial positions left the continuous meeting on 10/27/2014 in the morning, and nobody knew there they were for almost two days. Appeal to the court was filed by citizen Yatskov, the DEC Head who left the continuous meeting in the morning on 27 October. The DEC had to suspend its functioning due to the unsolved personnel issues. At the same time, supporters of self-nominated candidate Vasyl Huliaiev, who is winning in this district according to the preliminary results, are rallying in front of the DEC. We've also received information that somebody has set the door of a DEC member on fire (the member of DEC #140 representing the AUU Svoboda).
Although district election commissions in districts #132 (Mykolaiv obl.) and #182 (Kherson obl.) have drawn up protocols on determination of voting results, the situation remains tense.
DEC #132 (Mykolaiv obl.) At 11:30 PM on 30 October, the DEC has drawn up a protocol on determination of voting results in single-mandate district, and secured its transportation to the CEC. However, 9 members of the DEC included dissenting opinions to the protocol, with remarks about the election process. Self-nominated candidate Vasyl Kapatsyna appealed to the court for re-count of votes at 10 polling stations. It should be mentioned that candidate Arkadii Kornatskyi, nominated by the Petro Poroshenko Block, is 272 votes ahead of self-nominated candidate Vasyl Kapatsyna.
The DEC #182 (Kherson obl.) has drawn up a protocol on determination of voting results in the election district However, the protocol wasn't stamped, as long as the DEC's stamp had disappeared. The police has opened a criminal case on the fact of its disappearance. Although four DEC members must secure transportation of the protocol on voting results to the CEC, it's being transported by 14 members, what proves that electoral subjects don't tryst each other. On 30 October in the evening, the District Election Commission agreed to re-count votes at two polling stations - #000001 (located in the Kherson pretrial detention center) and #650779 (located in the Kherson Oblast Hospital for Disabled and War Veterans communal establishment).
Candidate nominated by the AUU Batkivshchyna Yurii Odarchenko, who is only 174 votes after the nominee of the Petro Poroshenko Block Oleksandr Spivakovskyi is going to appeal against voting results to the court. It should be mentioned that MP of Ukraine Valerii Karpuntsov was threatening OPORA's observer on meeting of the DEC #182 yesterday. We've reported this incident to law enforcement bodies.
On 31 October, OPORA observers reported some incidents in other districts. In particular, in district #63, 67 (Zhytomyr obl.); #74 (Zaporizhia obl.); #133, 134, 137, 138, 138.139, and 142 (Odesa obl.); #166 (Ternopil obl.); and #198 (Cherkasy obl.). In these districts, candidates demanded to re-count votes at polling stations by submitting complaints to election commissions or to the court. For example, a nominee of the People's Front party in district #166 (Ternopil obl.) Mykhailo Apostol appealed against voting results on 43 polling stations of this district. At the same time, the court obliged the DEC #79 (Zaporizhia obl.) to conduct repeated vote count at 12 polling stations. The DEC #37 (Dnipropetrovsk obl.) was trying to illegally prohibit an official observer to attend the meeting, which considered the transference of over 21 thousand ballot papers with incorrect numbers of polling stations to the CEC. Ballot with mistakes were noticed before the election day, but they were returned to the CEC only on 31 October. Instead, polling station #051403 (SMD #16, Vinnytsia oblast) didn't found any nationwide ballots with votes for the Petro Poroshenko Block during the repeated count.