Ministry of Interior of Ukraine ascertained the connection of 30 officials of power organs of the Nikolayev region with falsification of the election

Ministry of Interior of Ukraine ascertained the connection of 30 officials of power organs of the Nikolayev region with falsification of the election of the President of Ukraine. As a result of checks numerous facts of falsification of the election were disclosed.

According to the information communicated by the PR-department of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine, the majority of falsifications were connected with the voting with false off-list tickets and on behalf of dead, non-existent or temporarily absent citizens. In particular, as a result of the check of one third of the used off-list tickets more than 700 citizens were found (out of 1300 interrogated), who did not vote at all.

Falsification was carried out after two standard schemes:

l  the groups were formed in the regional center, which groups went for voting to the districts (the participants of these groups, in particular, students, got 80-100 hryvnas of remuneration);

l  officials of state administrations in the districts of the region exceeded their service authorities, brutally meddling in the work of election commissions, sometimes the officials personally falsified the results of the election, even in presence of members of the commissions and observers.

By the preliminary calculations, more than 1000 citizens took part in falsifications of the election in the Nikolayev region, among them 30 officials of power organs, from the heads of village councils to the heads of state district administrations.

All materials about the disclosed violations have been directed to the prosecutor’s office. The checks are continued.

8 April 2005