Ukrainian citizens cast their ballots on Sunday to chose members of the country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, in a snap election
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2019) Ukrainian citizens cast their ballots on Sunday to chose members of the country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, in a snap election.
In accordance with the constitution, which was adopted in 1996, the parliament is the main legislative body of the country. It consists of 450 members, who are elected for a five-year term through a universal, equal, direct and secret vote.
In accordance with the law "On Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine," elections are conducted under a mixed electoral system: half of the lawmakers are chosen by party lists of candidates from parties in nationwide election districts, while the second half is elected based on a simple majority in single-mandate election districts.
However, the actual number of parliamentarians who will be elected to the Verkhovna Rada in 2019 will be lower: 225 members by party lists, and only 199 members through the majority system.
This is due to the fact that Crimea left Ukraine for Russia in March 2014 after a referendum � Ukraine still considers the peninsula as part of its territory. In addition, a portion of the single-mandate districts is located in eastern Ukraine in the territories not controlled by Kiev. Thus, the total number of seats up for grabs this year will be 424.
Regular elections to the Verkhovna Rada are held on the last Sunday of October of the fifth year of the legislature's term. The Central Election Commission announces the start of the electoral process no later than 91 days before election day.
Snap parliamentary elections are held on the last Sunday of the 60-day period from the date when the presidential decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada early is published.
Any Ukrainian citizen who is over the age of 18 and has not been ruled by a court to be legally incompetent is eligible to vote. Voting is voluntary.
A voter may only be registered at one polling place, and information on where someone is registered can be found on the website of the State Voter Register or at the offices of local electoral commissions.
If a voter cannot find their registration data, they must submit a relevant application no later than five days before election day. Any changes to voter registration lists on the day of an election are made solely on the basis of a court decision.
Citizens with the status of "internally displaced person" (IDP) must submit an application to the authorities in advance if they want to change their polling place. Others who want to vote somewhere other than their place of registration also have the same right.
In terms of who can get elected, Ukrainians over the age of 21 and have been living in the country fall into this category.
A citizen who has a criminal record for committing an intentional crime cannot be nominated as a candidate and elected as a parliament member unless this criminal record is cleared or withdrawn in accordance with the law.
The right to nominate candidates for members of parliament in a nationwide election district is exercised by voters through parties, and, in the case of single-mandate election districts, through parties or by self-nomination.
A party may nominate no more than 225 people in a nationwide election district and one candidate in each single-mandate district. Nominees can be a member of that party or a non-party individual.
Political parties and candidates must open bank accounts for campaign funds no later than ten days from the date of their registration for the election. Funding for parties whose candidates are registered in party list election districts cannot exceed 90,000 minimum monthly salaries ($14.4 million in 2019). Funding for a candidate in a single-mandate election district cannot exceed 4,000 minimum monthly salaries (about $643,000 in 2019).
The candidates in a nationwide election district have the right to begin their campaigns the day after they are officially registered by the election commission. The election campaign ends at midnight of the last Friday before election day.
The voting is held from 8:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) to 8:00 p.m. (17:00 GMT) in specially designated and equipped premises.
The form, color and text of the ballot papers are approved by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC). The text of a ballot is printed in Ukrainian on a single, one-sided sheet of paper.
Ballot papers in the two types of election districts are colored differently.
The ballot papers for nationwide election districts must contain the names of parties in an order determined by draw, which is done by the CEC with the participation of party representatives. Specifically, ballots should have parties numbered in accordance with the order in which they were drawn; the full names of said parties; and the first, middle and last names of the first five registered candidates included in the party's electoral list.
The ballot papers in single-mandate election districts must contain the first, middle and last names of the registered candidates listed in alphabetical order. They must also contain the following information: year of birth, education, occupation, place of work, place of residence, party membership, as well as the nominating entity.
To receive a ballot, each voter should show a member of the commission a passport, temporary certificate of Ukrainian citizenship or a military ID.
Once the voter enters their polling station, they are required to put any mark that makes clear the political party (in nationwide election districts) or candidate (in single-mandate election districts) they want to pick. After that, the voter put their ballot into the ballot box.
A voter who is not able to fill out a ballot form themselves is entitled to enlist the help of someone they trust. If a voter makes a mistake while filling out the form, they have the right to make out a written request to the election commission for another ballot.
If a ballot paper has more than one mark or none at all, then it is considered invalid.
The CEC announces the results no later than 15 days after election day. The parties have to surpass the 5 percent threshold to win seats in the legislature, which are then distributed among electoral lists of the parties in proportion to the number of votes they received.
In a single-mandate district, a candidate is considered elected if they receive the most votes out of all other candidates running in the same district. If two or more candidates are tied for the most votes, then a second election is held no later than two weeks from the day the CEC adopts the relevant decision.
A second round of voting is also organized in single-mandate district if any of their elections are declared invalid or if the elected person fails to win their seat in accordance with electoral procedures. The second vote is held on the last Sunday of the 60-day period following the publication of the decision to call the election.
The parliament is authoritative if at least two-thirds of its constitutional composition are elected. Before taking office, the parliament members take an oath.
