Watchdog alleges Poroshenko using government agency for covert campaigning
Incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is using the Regional Development Council, a government agency that he leads, to campaign covertly for the March 31 presidential elections, election watchdog Opora alleged in a report issued on March 16.
Opora reported that in Kyiv, Zakarpattia, Rivne and Vinnytsia oblasts people calling themselves “volunteers” had distributed letters signed on behalf of the council and Poroshenko.
The letters include local maps with “prospective development plans” and photographs of Poroshenko and the local mayor or governor. There is also a message from Poroshenko saying that this information is a “road map of positive changes that await us in the next three to four years.”
Given that Poroshenko is the head of the Regional Development Council and a candidate for the presidency at the same time, he or the council should explain the nature of these letters, Opora says.
“The mass distribution of these materials during the election campaign … requires the authorities to explain to citizens more clearly and openly: why are these materials being distributed, what are the sources for their financing, and who is distributing them,” said Oleksii Riepik, Opora’s election observation coordinator in the Kyiv Oblast.
People calling themselves “volunteers” distributed letters signed with the name of presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko and Regional Development Council that he leads in Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast, as reported by election watchdog Opora on March 16, 2019. (Facebook / Volodymyr Polochaninov)
The enclosed map shows priority development plans such as roads repairs, streets illuminations, bicycle lanes, and the reconstruction and repair of schools and medical institutions. In some cases, there is information on the progress of reforms in the area.
There is also a questionnaire for rating the work of local authorities and asking which social and infrastructural projects the government should support in the area. It comes with a paid return envelope addressed to Petro Poroshenko. But the specified address, “22 Khreshchatyk St.” is not the Presidential Administration, but the main office of Ukrposhta, the state postal service.
A note on the questionnaire says that the package is “made without any expenses from the budget,” but there is no information as to the sources of funding. There are also no labels marking the package as campaign materials.
The front cover of the map says that the “prospective development plans” were “designed according to decree No. 412/2018 of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko from Dec. 6, 2018.” The name “Petro Poroshenko” is highlighted in bold capital letters.
The letters signed with the name of presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko distributed in Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast included a map with the city development plans and a message from the mayor of the city. (Opora)
Poroshenko indeed instructed the regional authorities to design and approve development plans for their respective regions with the decree No. 412/2018. However, there are no specified deadlines and no instructions about informing the public about the process, or about conducting surveys.
Poroshenko created the Regional Development Council in April 2015. It’s an advisory agency under the president that includes as members top government officials, regional governors and city mayors to coordinate the processes of decentralization and regional development.
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