Local social workers are convincing voters that if For A United Ukraine is defeated, then welfare, pensions and fuel assistance may not be guaranteed. Local observers report that the social workers of Bakhmach district get extra pay for advising those under their care, particularly the old and uneducated, to vote for United Ukrainians, for Ivan Plushch in the #209 constituency (including Bakhmach district), and the specified candidate for the regional state council. If they were not elected, said these social workers, people would not get pensions, aid, or other forms of assistance because of lacking funds. At the same time, they handed out leaflets with written instruction and the absolute guarantee to ask all “instructed” to give a signature in special notebooks as a “promise” to vote in a decided manner.

The regional branch of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine made public some strategies used by certain candidates on the Verkhovna Rada election lists in majority constituencies. In particular, as they say, Andriy Verevs`kiy, who controls regional bakeries and other enterprises is planning to force all his employees to get leave from their polling places and to go to #146 constituency in order to vote for him. In just one town (Hlobyno), about one thousand voters are being transferred to vote for Mr.Verevets`kiy. Elsewhere in Myrhorod some local officials have threatened pollers, saying that they would “single out by fingerprints on the ballots those voting against For United Ukraine and to leave them without work, and generally to look into all those who are against them.”

In #40 Dnipropetrovsk regional constituency, notices to voters on behalf of Pavlo Lazarenko have appeared. Mr. Lazarenko was prime minister of Ukraine in 1996-97; since February 1999 he has been under arrest in the USA, indicted on charges of smuggling and forgery. During the last week those citizens of Solonyanskiy District who in 1998 elected Pavlo Lazarenko to the Ukrainian parliament, have received these notices by mail. Letters printed on standard white paper were also distributed. Their author thanked the local citizens for 4 years of support and asked for forgiveness, as “the current regime forged the criminal case against him, therefore not allowing him to fulfill all his promises to voters.” Additionally, the text clarifies a promise on behalf of Mr. Lazarenko of his return to Ukraine, and to make efforts to improve life standards of his supporting voters and “mutual completion of many good deeds.” In the meantime, regional Hromada representatives headed in the past by Mr. Lazarenko have not confirmed that these letters were published and distributed. Solonyanskiy`s inhabitants tried to find out about this by asking journalists the date of Mr. Lazarenko`s return and whether it was possible to vote for him on the day of the election.
Mykola Shmyhel`skiy, the head of the regional election committee in #40 constituency has signed an appeal to parents’ school bodies to vote For United Ukraine`s bloc. The Ukrainian People’s Movement (UPM) regional branch have reported this. As its deputy head Anatoliy Sokoryn`skiy reports, the appeal was signed by five other chairmen of other electoral districts. The appeals were distributed at parents’ schools assemblies.

There were attempts to cancel the registration of Our Ukraine’s candidates a week before the elections. In the Buchach and Kremenchuk constituencies, in particular, they were accused of falsifying tax returns. Mykhaylo Ratushniy, the deputy chairman of UPM, considers this to be a violation of Article 44 of the Ukrainian Elections Law as the law states that all deputies` tax returns must be verified 30 days before the election.

Region During Victor Yushchenko`s meeting with several thousand regional voters, leaflets were dropped from the air from a plane. These leaflets were severely critical of Our Ukraine’s bloc and of Zinoviy Shkutyak, a mayoral candidate supported by V. Yushchenko`s bloc. As regional journalists report, unlike other politicians, Our Ukraine’s leader has gathered many thousands of supporters. In total, there were dozens of meetings held in the open with half of these meetings going unplanned as no hall could house all supporters willing to listen to Mr. Yushchenko. Tretya Companiya (The Third Company) TV-Radio Station broadcast a statement by the imprisoned Ivan Halyuk, the former director of Ivano-Frankivsk’s central market. He had accused Mayor Zinoviy Shkutyak, who is running for another term in office, of wrongdoings. Ivan Halyuk, punished for financial offences, was interviewed in the prison. He accused the mayor and his family of criminal offences. Mr. Shkutyak has brought an action against the station in response to this. There was then retaliation against Shkutyak`s campaign office, with supporters being beaten, and staff of the municipal TV-Radio station “Vezha” were then intimidated. There are 5 candidates in total running for the mayor post, but, according to local observers, the real competitor to Mr. Shkutyak is Ostap Darmohray, the director of a local commercial company. This company controlled the regional gas supply till recently. However Mr. Darmohray claims that he was not involved in these aforementioned provocations.

In Khust city’s constituency the so-called dead souls were included in the voter lists. Ostap Bukachevskiy, the chairman of the regional Ukrainian People’s Movement organization, raised the question of people potentially unable to vote. He claims that voter lists include names of the people who actually died many years ago or left the country to work abroad. After the secretary of #2 election station and Our Ukraine’s representative drew attention to this fact, the lists were sent back to the Regional Committee but then were returned without any amendments being made. This occurred twice, and only after an appeal to the Territorial Commission were the corrections made. Mr. Bukachevskiy views this situation as typical in the present election campaign, particularly in his region, and claims it as a preview to the falsification of election results.