Political may nominate candidates in the upcoming by-election of MPs from 19 May to 6 June inclusive, and independent candidates may register from 19 May to 16 June inclusive.
OPORA's observers, deployed to all single-mandate election districts (SMDs #23, 27, 85, 114, 151, 183, and 206) haven't that potential or registered candidates are very active.
According to the CEC, there are 17 candidates registered in seven single-member district as of 1 June 2016. Most of the candidates are currently registered in SMD #114 (Luhansk oblast) – 6 persons, and there are no candidates registered in SMD #23 (Volyn obl.).
Observers haven't reported any wide-scale campaigning efforts of potential candidates, who haven't been officially registered yet, from 19 May to 1 June. Almost all registered candidates are only preparing to the election campaign.
However, a number of potential candidate do conduct activities related to the election process despite they are not registered. For example, Maksym Mykytas has already started campaigning in single-member district #206 (centered in Chernihiv city). He is actively involved in social and infrastructural events on behalf of the Poliskyi Oberih charitable fund.
You may find other examples of potential candidates' campaigning below.
CAMPAIGNING EFFORTS OF REGISTERED AND POTENTIAL CANDIDATES IN BY-ELECTION OF MPs
Chernihiv oblast, district #206
As of 1 June, three candidates have registered in single-member district #206 (centered in Chernihiv city) – Hryhorii Tkachenko, Yehor Firsov i Oleksandr Shevel (all independent). Both registered and potential candidates have only started campaigning, mostly through publication of image materials in printed mass media.
A comprehensive campaign, however, was launched too early only by potential candidate Maksym Mykytas. He became the Head of Poliskyi Oberih charitable fund, which has connections with Chernihiv City Mayor Vladyslav Antroshenko, and launched “charitable activities” on behalf of the fund right away. For example, he presented construction materials on behalf of the fund for repairs in School #35 during its celebration of the last day of school year; cleaned up hurricane toppled trees at 5 Samokvasova St., organized a celebration in kindergarten in the village of Pakul; conducted a meeting with residents of the village Radiansk Sloboda etc. It should be mentioned that the candidate worked actively in the district yet on the beginning of May. Thus, he used branding of a state company Ukrbud, where he holds a position of President – reconstructed park “Berezovyi Hai”, sent veterans greetings on the Victory Day.
Yehor Firsov (independent candidate, registered on 5/24/2016) announced about his intention to run in district #206 on his personal Facebook page, and started actively campaigning. The candidate presents himself as an alternative to Maksym Mykytas. His public reception in the district is open, and printed campaign materials are prepared for dissemination. He also uses the media for campaigning, including national media.
Hryhorii Tkachenko (independent candidate, registered on 5/24/2016) presents himself as an efficient agrarian (supported by the Agrarian Party of Ukraine). He emphasizes in his campaign the importance of energy saving technologies, which he introduces in his production, according to him. Thus, during a press-conference on 5/25/2016, he presented energy saving lamps, which he is going to use as campaigning materials in his election campaign.
Representative of the Radical Party Dmytro Blaush has started campaigning with a visit of party's leader Oleh Liashko to the district, who met social workers of Novozavodskyi City District of Chernihiv as well as lyceum students and teachers. Besides that, there is information on candidate's page that he had met staffers of Preschool #75 and visited the St. Nicholas church in the town of Ripky, where he brought icons as a present.
Yaroslav Hirich, nominated by the UKROP party, and Political party Democratic Alliance have also announced they participation in the elections, which representative Ihor Andriichenko ran in district #205. Opposition Bloc party nominated Lidiia Haievska, ex-Deputy Head of Chernihiv Oblast State Administration. There are no campaign materials noticed.
Dnipropetrovsk oblast, district #27
As of 1 June, three candidates have been registered in single-member district #27 (centered in the city of Dnipro, Sobornyi city district) – Maryna Denysenko, Zahid Krasnov and Viktoriia Shylova (all independent candidates). Vadym Shebanov (ex-Deputy Mayor of Dnipro city) and Anastasiia Staroskoltseva (member of city council from UKROP party) have also publicly announced their intent to run in this election. Outdoor advertising of potential candidate Tetiana Rychkova, who presents herself as a volunteer, has appeared in the city later in May. Both registered and potential candidates don't organize any active campaigning.
Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, district #85
Only one candidate, Sviatoslav Kavinskyi, nominated independently, is registered in single-member district #85 (centered in the city of Kalush) as of 01 June. Potential candidates remain inactive. There are also no announcements about nomination of candidates from political parties.
Poltava oblast, district #151
As of 1 June, three have registered to participate in interim election to the Parliament in single-member district #151 (centered in the city of Lokhvytsia) – independent candidates Mykola Bondar and Vitalii Olshanskyi, and nominee of the Serhii Kaplin's Party of Simple People Serhii Mamoian.
Serhii Mamoian's campaigning efforts include dissemination of leaflets from tents, depicting the candidate and calling to sign the petition concerning the law on rent (on regulation of the receipt and use of funds from rent paid for the use of subsoil for extraction of oil, natural gas and gas condensate).
Serhii Mamoian is only one candidate nominated by a political party (Serhii Kaplin's Party of Simple People). He organizes dissemination of leaflets from campaigning tents depicting the candidate and calling to sign the petition concerning the law on rent.
Lokhvytsia raion newspaper “Zoria” published on 12 May 2016 an advertising about collection of signatures on all territory of Poltava oblast from 12 to 27 May, in support of the law on rent, signed by member of Poltava Oblast Council Serhii Mamoian. As of 5/26/2016, information materials are being disseminated from tents branded by Serhii Kaplin's Party of Simple People. Materials contain a picture of candidate Serhii Mamoian and the petition on regulation of the receipt and use of funds from rent paid for the use of subsoil for extraction of oil, natural gas and gas condensate. As of 5/24/2016, Serhii Mamoian is registered in the CEC as a candidate from Serhii Kaplin's Party of Simple People in district #151. Such activities may be interpreted as an attempt to manipulate public opinion to promote the candidate in this electoral district.
Potential candidate Olshanskyi Oleksandr Ivanovych, who was nominated from the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko in 2014, is constantly distributing greeting cards dedicated to religious and state holidays. However, he is not officially registered at the moment. At the same time, independent candidate Olshanskyi Vitalii Dmytrovych, who is registered in the CEC as of 5/24/2016, doesn't conduct any campaigning.
Potential candidate Ruslan Bohdan from the Batkivshchyna party conducts public activities as the head of oblast party cell and uses party media and regional news websites. Besides that, there are defamatory materials about Ruslan Bohdan in the internet. Thus, a number of local websites published information alleging that the potential candidate is guilty of pedophilia.
Volyn oblast, district #23
There was no campaigning activity on behalf of potential candidates noticed in single-member district #23 (centered in the town of Manevychi) as of 1 June. Representatives of political parties are also inactive. There were no campaign materials (outdoor advertising, media campaigning, hidden campaigning) noticed in election district #23 before the official registration of candidates. City of Kamin-Kashyrskyi, town of Liubeshiv, town of Manevychi and city Kivertsi – the cities where early campaigning was mostly expected – don't have any signs of campaigning by potential candidates.
As of 28 May 2016, only the Ukrainian Union of Patriots – UKROP conducted an all-Ukrainian party congress, dedicated to nomination of candidates. Thus, Iryna Konstankevych, who ran in district #22 (city of Lutsk) in 2014 parliamentary elections, was nominated by this party in district #23.
Kherson oblast, district #183
As of 1 June, the only candidate registered in single-member district #183 (centered in Korabelnyi district of the Kherson city), is independent candidate Illia Kyva.
We haven't noticed any campaigning efforts of potential candidates. Most of regional media in the oblast published information about candidates after the parties held their congresses.
Luhansk oblast, district #114
There are six MP candidates registered in single-member district #114 (centered in the town of Stanytsi Luhanska) as of 1 June –Serhii Zaretskyi, Taras Kostanchuk, Andrii Lesyk, Viktor Lishchynskyi, Serhii Moshenskyi, and Vsevolod Filimonenko (all independent). They didn't conduct any public activities (in the media or in the district) before official registration.