President's Office must stop exerting pressure on the CEC

The Committee of Voters of Ukraine considers the actions of the representatives of the Office of the President as an attempt to put pressure on the Central Election Commission and to interfere in its activities on the eve of the local elections. The CVU calls on the authorities to stop putting pressure on the CEC and to refrain from actions that undermine the Commission's independence.

On August 15, CEC Chairman Oleh Didenko said that those close to the President's Office had demanded voluntary dismissal from the CEC Chairman and individual members of the Commission: “ I can confirm that I received a recommendation from people close to the President's Office to dismiss me voluntarily. desire and dismissal of four more members of the Commission. With hints of possible negative consequences in case of refusal . "

The CVU believes that such actions undermine the independence of the CEC and are an attempt at political interference in the activities of the Central Election Commission. In accordance with Part 1 of Art. 3 of the Law "On the Central Election Commission" The Commission is a collegial state body that exercises its powers independently, independently of other public authorities, their officials and officials. According to Part 5 of Art. 3 interference of any bodies, officials and officials in resolving issues within the competence of the Commission is not allowed.

Actions of representatives of the Office of the President may have signs of a criminal offense under Art. 344 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - "Interference in the activities of a statesman." According to Art. 344 of the Criminal Code "illegal influence in any form on the Chairman or a member of the Central Election Commission in order to prevent them from performing their official duties or to make illegal decisions is punishable by a fine of two hundred to three hundred non-taxable minimum incomes or arrest for three to six months , or restriction of liberty for up to two years, or imprisonment for the same term. Relevant facts should be investigated by law enforcement agencies.

The Committee of Voters of Ukraine calls on the authorities to refrain from interfering in the activities of the Central Election Commission and to put political pressure on the members of the Central Election Commission. Such facts undermine the independence of the CEC, do not promote confidence in the results of the Commission's work and are an example of the use of administrative resources in the run-up to local elections.