October 28, 2015

10/27/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The process of counting of the votes at the elections is dragging on

The process of counting of the votes at the elections is dragging on
The process of counting of the votes at the elections is dragging on

10.27.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

  • The process of counting of the votes at the elections is dragging on.
  • The Head of the State Fiscal Service promised to dismiss 42% of heads of departments, subject to lustration.
  • Minister of Information Policy Stets announced that he would resign on December 3rd.
  • Ukraine climbed up 13 places in the "Doing Business" ranking.

Key Events in Ukraine

  • The process of counting of the votes in the local elections is not even half finished. After the territorial commission of Odessa announced that former member of the Party of Regions Trukhanov was elected as a Mayor,  Head of the State Regional Administration Saakashvili said he would challenge the results because of the large-scale fraud. In Pavlograd CEC cancelled the second round of elections due to the decrease in the last days before the voting of the number of voters below the acceptable threshold for the city with population of 90 th. people. The “Ukrop” party is protesting against this decision and is ready to challenge it in court.
  • The Council of the Parliament coalition could not come to a consensus on a date for elections in Mariupol. CEC head Ohendovsky believes that the adoption of a separate law is required for such purpose.
  • A draft Tax Code, developed by the relevant committee of the Parliament and civil society organizations was introduced in the Verkhovna Rada . Experts predict that the project, if approved by the Parliament, will be vetoed by the President, since after its implementation, budget losses from uncollected taxes will turn the budget into a deficit one. This may result in the termination of the IMF funding.
  • Ukraine climbed up 13 points in the “Doing Business” ranking, occupying the 83rd position among 189 countries. Conditions of registration of business and international trade improved , positions in ease of obtaining building permits and fairness of judgments significantly decreased . The first place in the ranking got Singapore, on the second place is New Zealand.
  • Shell refused to participate in the project of shale gas production in Ukraine. Ukrainian company Nadra Yuzovska announced a competition to attract investors for the realization of agreement on sharing of gas production in the Yuzovsky site in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
  • The Ukrainian Government supported the initiative of the  Westinghouse American company to modernize the reactors, which will significantly increase the production of electricity.
  • The General Prosecutor refused to fufill the EU requirements on visa liberalization and threatened the Foreign Ministry to start a prosecutor's check due to the undermining of the authority of the Government. Foreign Minister Klimkin said that there is no conflict of interest between the agencies. The statesmen of the United States and the EU have expressed an open dissatisfaction with the authorities of Ukraine, which are refusing to change General Prosecutor Shokin and his deputies , that put a brake on the anti-corruption reforms.
  • The National Bank strengthened the hryvnia after a week of decrease: 22,86 ₴ / $ (-0,04 UAH), 25,29 ₴ / € (+0,07 UAH), 3,60 ₴ / 10 ₽ (-0,06 UAH) .

Ukraine at War

  • During the day  in the conflict zone took place sporadic skirmishes, during which in Opytne was killed a soldier. According to official figures, another soldier was killed the day before in Peski. Ukrainian army positions were atacked in Zaitsevo. The Headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist operation are forced to admit that the truce is broken, however, the withdrawal of weapons continues.
  • Head of the Donetsk military and civil administration Zhebrivskyi requests to open a checkpoint to the occupied territories in Kurakhovo.
  • The contact group to resolve the situation in the Donbass continued its work in Minsk. Agreed is a partial exchange of Ukrainian servicemen captured by the militants, which will happen in the nearest time. Subgroup on Safety continued talks on de-mining and de-escalation of the conflict in Shyrokino. Representative of the political subgroup Bessmertnyi said that Ukraine insists that the elections in the occupied territories should be held under the existing law on local elections with certain amendments. Before the elections all the parts of the security of political parties and the media involved in the process must be fulfilled: two Minsk protocols, de-mining, demilitarization, withdrawal of illegal armed groups and foreign troops, restoration of control over the state border.
  • The UN mission resumed humanitarian operations in the occupied territory of Luhansk region after a three-month suspension at the request of the DPR  militants.
  • The OSCE Mission suspended from work one of its observers for drunking. He admitted that he is a current employee of the Russian special services.

Ukraine and the World

  • Russian President Putin announced about beginning of the construction of a second branch of the "Nord Stream" pipeline . The Latvian government is opposing to the construction, considering that it violates the concept of energy security adopted by the EU.
  • Turkey filed a claim in the International Court of Arbitration against Gazprom regarding the inflated prices for the supplied natural gas.
  • According to former official of the administration of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lyon, Moscow could spark a war in the Balkans. Putin openly supported Serbian President Dodik, who is preparing to announce a referendum on independence, which violates the  Dayton agreement of 1995.
  • Head of the Council of Europe, Tusk said that the immigration crisis is the biggest challenge for Europe in recent years and it can lead to the collapse of the European Union. Extraordinary solutions are required to solve it.
  • The European Parliament decided to abolish the roaming and mobile Internet charges. Implementation of the law is planned for mid-2017.
  • Serbian politicians  illegally arrived in the Crimea , despite the warnings from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on ban of the entry to the temporarily occupied territory.
  • Belarusian Foreign Minister Makey said that there is no need to place another military base on the territory of the country, as it does not reduce military tension in the region.

Trends


  • Against the background of triumphant reports on the transparency of local elections, the current situation with the publication of current voting results looks disastrous. For example, in neighboring Poland final voting results were announced a day after they finished. CEC believes that the situation is absolutely normal, noone demands intermediate data from the territorial election commissions , they have to present only the final versions of the protocols with the seals. According to experts and public, this allowed plenty of room for manipulation in the elections, when during the vote counting process the  intermediate results are unknown and it is impossible to assess the dynamics and accuracy of the reports.

No comments:

Post a Comment