Elections to Ternopil Regional Council (2009)

Ternopil Regional Council election results March 26, 2006

These results almost coincided with the results of the voting at the parliamentary elections that took place that day. 34.4% voted for the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc , 34.16% voted for Our Ukraine , 10.20% supported the Bloc of Kostenko and Ivy , and the Socialist Party - 3.66%. And for the “Pora-PRP” block , which received 3.09% in the Ternopil Oblast in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada, a shortage of 0.1% turned out to be significant, and the block was not included in the regional council ^[3] .

Conflict between the “Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc” and “Our Ukraine” in the Ternopil Regional Council

The main reason for the election was the conflict between the chairman of the Ternopil Regional Council, Mikhail Mikolenko ( Yulia Tymoshenko’s Bloc ) and the Chairman of the Ternopil Regional State Administration, Yuriy Chizhmar ( Our Ukraine ). After the previous elections to the Ternopil Regional Council of 2006, the majority of representatives of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist Party of Ukraine and the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists (who went to the council on the lists of the Our Ukraine bloc) were formed. Most of Our Ukraine, as well as Kostenko and Ivy's Ukrainian Popular Bloc, were in opposition . On October 22, 2008, the regional council expressed its lack of confidence in Yury Chizhmar, the head of the regional state administration. At the same time, Chizhmar was not in the regional council at that time. Two deputies (from Our Ukraine and the Ukrainian People’s Party) appealed against this and other decisions of the regional council, adopted on October 22, in court. Deputies from Our Ukraine also demanded the deprivation of deputies from the Congress of Ukrainian nationalists mandates. According to the results of the claim, the Ternopil Regional Administrative Court declared invalid the plenary session of the regional council on October 22 and all decisions taken at it. The next day, when the court ruling had not yet entered into legal force, Chizhmar appealed to the Verkhovna Rada with a request to appoint special elections to the regional council. He explained this by the failure of the regional council to comply with previous court decisions, delaying the consideration of a number of regional programs, transferring various objects to the communal property of the region, and personnel appointments. On December 18, 2008, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported this submission and appointed special elections to the Ternopil Regional Council on March 15, 2009.

Notes:
1. The Ukrainian People’s Party in elections to the Ternopil Regional Rada in 2006 was part of the Kostenko’s and Ivy’s Ukrainian People’s Bloc.
2. The Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists and the People’s Union “Our Ukraine” in the previous elections were part of the block “Our Ukraine”
3. The Yatsenyuk bloc was planned at the time of the survey, but it was never created.
4. As part of the block, Our Ukraine - People’s Self-Defense .
* N / y means that the party (bloc) did not participate in previous elections.

Voter turnout forecast

The survey was conducted by the sociological group "Rating" ^[12] .

Note:
* Surveys were conducted 24-30 of 2008 ^[13]

Registration of subjects of the electoral process

Due to the confrontation between the Ternopil Regional Council and the Ternopol Regional State Administration , a situation existed for a certain time when two territorial election commissions operated in parallel, and subjects of the electoral process were forced to register in both institutions ^[14] . The decision of the Ternopil Regional Administrative Court declared invalid the decision of the session of the regional council on the creation of a new TEC. ^[15] The only legal territorial election commission was recognized as the old one.

Attempt to cancel elections

On February 2, 2009, in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, deputies Ivan Kirilenko ( BYuT ) and Nikolai Martynenko ( NU-NS ) registered a draft resolution “On the recognition of the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine“ On the appointment of extraordinary elections of deputies Ternopil Regional Council ”. ^[16] In the opinion of their opponents (in particular, VO “Freedom” ^{[17] of the} Party of Regions ^{[18] of the} Unified Center ^[19] ) Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc simply fears defeat. On February 17, supporters of the All-Ukrainian Svoboda Association held a picket of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with demands to guarantee local self-government in the Ternopil region and not to cancel the elections to the Ternopil Regional Council ^[20] . Representatives of the All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda” also announced that if the Verkhovna Rada canceled these elections, Svoboda VO would initiate a referendum on early termination of the powers of the Ternopil Regional Council. ^[21] The Communists ^[22] and the Lytvyn Bloc also opposed the cancellation of these elections. ^[23] On March 3, 2009, 292 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the repeal of their own resolution No. 3686 "On the appointment of extraordinary elections of deputies of the Ternopil Regional Council" (as a whole and in general) ^[24] In particular, 147 out of 176 deputies of the faction voted for this decision The Party of Regions, 141 out of 156 deputies of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction, 4 representatives of “Our Ukraine - People’s Self-Defense.” Factions of the Communist Party of Ukraine and “Litvin Bloc” did not vote in full. They strongly condemned the attempt to cancel the elections Boda ” ^[25] .

Election Day

Voting was held from 7:00 to 22:00. According to Oleksandr Chernenko , press secretary of the Ukrainian Committee of Voters , the vast majority of polling stations were open for voting on time - at 7:00 am. Voting was conducted at 1,170 polling stations. About 800,000 voters were put on the voting lists. ^[26] In general, the elections were calm. However, in Ternopil , the secretary of the election commission died at a special precinct that was located in the territory of the city hospital No. 3. According to a representative of the territorial election commission, this person had health problems, she had previously suffered a heart attack. ^[26] Some participants in the race expressed the opinion that this election is illegal. In particular, MP from the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko , Sergei Podgorny said that, according to his political force, these elections are illegal, because the Constitutional Court did not cancel the decision of the Verkhovna Rada, which it annulled the decision on the appointment of early elections. He also noted that “Nobody canceled this decree. Someone may like it, some may not like it, but the ruling is valid. Therefore, there can be no elections in the Ternopil Regional Council. ” ^{[27] The} Ukrainian People’s Party reported that they delegated 1,000 additional observers to the elections to the Ternopil Regional Council and will conduct a parallel vote count. ^[28] According to the press service of the party, "this is done in order to ensure chesches in the elections." Later it became known that representatives of regional organizations of the Ukrainian People's Party, the Unified Center , the Times , Our Ukraine signed a joint statement on joining efforts to organize joint control over the counting of votes at elections. These political forces declared that they are joining their efforts “for the sake of observing the legality of completing the voting process and organizing joint control over the counting of votes and the establishment of election results. ^[29] But, in the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, they stated that they consider this initiative “a preliminary agreement on the division of power,” and condemned it ^[30] .

Voter turnout

Parallel vote counting

1. VO "Freedom"
2. "Single Center"
3. Ukrainian folk party

Elections were widely publicized in the media , both in print and electronic media. This is due to the fact that these elections are extraordinary, divorced in time with the majority of other local elections. In addition, these elections were considered by many experts and political parties as a rehearsal for the upcoming presidential and possible early elections in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine . The newspaper "Today" ( Ukrainian Today ) writes that this is the second defeat of the BYuT over the past year - in May 2008, was Kiev. ^[38] Many people consider these elections as a kind of poll of the residents of Galicia , because the results of the elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 2002 ^[39] 2006 ^[40] 2007 ^[41] years results of parties in Lviv , Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil regions were always almost the same. These elections became a real information breakthrough for the All-Ukrainian Association “Freedom” . In particular, party leaders began to appear much more often on television, in the pages of newspapers and magazines. The victory of “Freedom” in these elections caused some journalists to fear the radicalization of society. Also, the second result of the “Single Center” was a surprise for the press. Indeed, according to public opinion polls, this party does not overcome the barrier at the national level. Therefore, according to some journalists, this result can be explained by the personal popularity of the Chairman of the Ternopil Regional State Administration Yuriy Chizhmar , who headed the party’s electoral list. There was also a version about the use of administrative resources. Also a surprise for the press was a very high indicator of the Party of Regions for Galicia . The result of 9.80% is the highest achievement of this game in Galicia in its history. Some journalists and experts explained this by bribing a party of voters. ^[42] Most newspapers and observers agree that this election is a huge defeat for the BYuT . Some publications (Segodnya newspaper), Ukrainian Week magazine), commenting on the election results, expressed concern that the victory of the nationalists in western Ukraine could provoke a rise in the popularity of pro-Russian forces in the east of the country.

Statements about possible election fraud

According to the head of the regional police department, Vitaly Maximov, it has been established that more than 500 people from those who are on the electoral rolls marked as having participated in the voting did not participate in it. According to him, on September 17, the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada on the investigation of the violation of the law during the early elections to the Ternopil regional council on March 15, 2009, gained access to electoral documentation. So, law enforcement officers were able to begin checking voter lists in four districts, the results of which were questionable by members of the commission. According to the results of the audit, 2,919 people were polled (among those who, according to the protocols of precinct election commissions, took part in the voting) in the Zalashchitsky , Lanovetsky , Podvolochisk and Pidgaetsky districts of the region. Of these, about 20% reported that they did not participate in the elections. ^[43]

Processed 100% of the bulletins.

Notes:

¹ Did not accept participation in previous elections

²At the previous elections as part of Our Ukraine

On March 19, 2009, the first meeting of the Ternopil Regional Council was held in a new composition. 99 newly elected deputies from 120 attended it. In particular, deputies from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc boycotted this meeting. [74] Nataliya Chuiko, Chairperson of the Ternopil Oblast TEC, read the names of the deputies included in the newly elected Oblast Council. On March 26, 2009, at a meeting of the Ternopil Regional Council, by secret ballot, a deputy of the Ternopil Regional Council from the All-Ukrainian Association “Freedom” Oleksiy Kaydu was elected by the chairman of the Ternopil Regional Council. Sergey Tarashevsky (“Single Center”) was elected first deputy, and Oleg Bobersky (Ukrainian People’s Party) was elected deputy.

As the chairman of the Ternopil regional TEC, Natalya Chuyko, reported, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc declined 12 deputy seats in the Ternopil regional council. All 12 newly elected deputies from BYuT have written applications for termination of powers. Their successors on the list did likewise, until he was exhausted. In this regard, the Ternopil Regional Council now included 108 deputies out of 120. However, for making decisions, it was necessary to have 61 votes.