KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2019) Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said on Sunday that she had received 188 reports on violations of human rights at the ongoing presidential runoff vote.
"We have been informed about violations of human rights in the second round by 188 people. The majority - 72 - are related to inaccuracies in the [electoral] lists so citizens cannot vote," Denisova said, as quoted by the UNN news agency.
The ombudswoman's office responds to such reports by contacting polling places to find out why citizens were not able to cast ballot, Denisova noted.
Polling places opened at 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) on Sunday in Ukraine marking the start of the second round of the presidential election. According to opinion polls, conducted ahead of the runoff, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko is supported by about 25 percent of voters, while his opponent Volodymyr Zelenskiy by about 70 percent.
This year is the first time that Russian observers have been denied access to monitor the election. Because of this, Moscow has expressed concern over the legitimacy of Ukraine's election and its results. In addition, Kiev did not organize polling places either in those parts of the eastern Donbas region that are not controlled by Kiev, or in Russia, where the largest diaspora of the Ukrainian people lives, which has affected up to 10 million eligible Ukrainian voters.
The Ukrainian president is elected for a five-year term. The Ukrainian Central Election Commission has until May 1 inclusively to announce the results of the second round. The inauguration of the new president will take place before June 3.
