From 2 to 8 criminal cases on violations of electoral right are started every day in the Donetsk region

According to the words of the top officers of regional militia, local law-enforcers started the thorough check of the violations in the course of the election process somewhat later than their colleagues in other regions. Yet, more that 60 cases have been already instituted, mainly after the facts of use of faked bulletins, falsification of voters’ signatures and involving in election of the “dead souls”.

The cases mainly concern the members of election commissions, who are directly connected with the disclosed violations. It is possible that the accusations will be presented also to the persons, who have ruled this process. Mykhaylo Kliuev, the head of the regional militia department, says that they will not persecute anybody because of “political motives”. “Our main task is to demonstrate that nobody can use such methods in the course of elections. Besides, nobody has thought before that it is possible to appeal against the election results”.

By the way, even the Donetsk dwellers, which voted for the pro-power candidate, paid their attention to the violations during the past election. Since only a blind man could not notice that the heated support of the “only candidate” was too demonstrative. For example, about 10 facts of falsification and use of the votes of dead people are now investigated in circuit No. 44 (Donetsk). In the provinces: in Artemovsk, Vugledar and Slovyansk, the law-enforcers work with the so-called “roundabouts”. The cases investigated in Vugledar confirm that sometimes the faked bulletins were used not less frequently than the real ones. For instance, at election station No. 23 of the 62nd circuit 59 such bulletins were given out. At that it is not difficult to guess that all these bulletins were filled in favor of the candidate, who later complained that his rival allegedly “stole” his victory.

Almost all cases have been started after Article 158 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal use of election bulletins, falsification of documents, incorrect calculation of votes), which envisage responsibility in the form of deprivation of liberty for the term from 3 to 8 years. Besides, the punishment may have the form of deprivation of the right to occupy certain posts, which, probably, is very important for a number of functioning Donetsk authorities, who have patronized this mendacious election.

7 June 2005