It's 1.5 months after the Law on Local Elections was adopted, and the citizens are still unaware of its major innovations. They still hope they can vote for the certain candidates They are confused about new ballots, and they don't understand why one district may elect two and more candidates and another – none. These facts became known thanks to the research conducted by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on OPORA's request. There are only two weeks left to improve the situation. Thus, OPORA calls on all electoral subjects and commissions responsible for election administration to enhance cooperation with the voters and spread more information about peculiarities of the voting process and tabulation.
RESEARCH. RESULTS OF FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VOTERS
According to the KIIS Head of Qualitative Research Department Artem MIROSHNYCHENKO, the research had been conducted through focus-groups from 31 August to 9 September in seven locations comprising Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Rivne and other cities. “As for the results, our respondents in Kyiv turned out to be the best informed. They know about threshold, possible withdrawal of a deputy etc.” – KIIS expert says.
According to the research results, most of respondents don't know about the changes in electoral system and how it differs from the old one. Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA, has stated: “A lot of respondents don't know that electoral system which uses party lists for voting is called 'proportional'. A lot of respondents said that they wouldn't know about the changes if not the inquiry. It especially concerns the voters in small settlements.”
Many respondents suggest they would have a chance to choose both a party and a candidate. Not everybody understand that parties can nominate one candidate, or don't dominate any. Some even think the system provides “open lists when parties and candidates can be elected separately”.
Iryna SHVETS, Project Director at Civil Network OPORA, said: “Most of the people who saw a new ballot the first time couldn't understand how to use it The respondents expected that ballots would be similar to the previous: when parties and candidates are given separately to choose.”
Participants were disturbed the most by the fact that none of the candidates may be elected in their district. They think they won't have "their representative" in local council in this case. Most of the voters don't understand how this can happen and prefer to think that a councilor will be definitely elected in their district. Respondents think that they wouldn't have an opportunity to protect their interests, as long as the councilors from other districts won't have time and desire to solve their problems.
As for assessment of the changed electoral system, the respondents have the following standpoints:
- they welcome the opportunity to withdraw a councilor on the basis of a claim filed by initiative group, but are convinced that such procedure must be open;
- research participants are neutral about increased 5% threshold and new election system for election of city mayors;
- they notice both pluses of two-round electoral system for mayoral elections in cities with population over 90 thousand (to avoid possible winning of candidates having low level of support), and possible minuses (additional budget expenses for organization of the second round, aggressive confrontation of candidates etc.);
- they are concerned that unaffiliated candidates won't have an opportunity to participate in elections to local councils.
It should be mentioned that all participants of focus-groups have found it difficult to understand the following peculiarities of new election system:
- the fact a leader of local party cell is included in electoral list and elected if a party receives 5 or more percents in multi-mandate electoral district; that all candidates from a party compete with each other besides a leader of party lists;
- that a party but not a candidate in the certain territorial district is ought to overcome 5% threshold;
- that in some candidates may be elected in one district and none candidates in the other.
Assistance for the research was provided by European Union and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of EU or USAID.