EIGHT YEARS OF PRISON FOR FIXING ELECTIONS

As the presidential elections approach, many politicians fear that the results may differ significantly from a true expression of people's will. For the story of the long-suffering parliamentary-election constituency No. 221 makes us think it was an attempt to try out a model for rigging the October 31 presidential elections. As experience shows, the actions of those guilty are hard to qualify as criminal due to the vague wording of the law. The deputies mentioned put forward an extended list of unlawful actions: "obstruction to a free exercise of the right to elect by Ukrainian citizens, or obstruction to pre-election canvassing, or obstruction to the work of polling commissions or members thereof by resorting to violence, destroying property, cheating, bribing, or in any other way, as well as by threatening to resort to violence or destroy property." Such actions are to be punishable by a prison term up to five years and up to eight years if accompanied by prior conspiracy, which is usually the case. Similar responsibility is being proposed for direct rigging, i.e., "entering, with prior knowledge, of incorrect information into the election documents, including the roster of voters and the signatures list, or forging these documents, by members of polling commissions, officials, or persons who witness the authenticity of the signatures list,... as well as willfully incorrect counting of votes or establishment of election results" (there was a scandal on the eve of the March elections in Kyiv's Moskovsky district, when some dead souls were entered in the roster of voters - Author). Moreover, no lesser a penalty is also prescribed for those who pay for such offenses.