Buying Property on the moon. Votes for sale election scam
There are reports in the media that advertisements have been placed where Ukrainians have offered to sell their votes for a sum of 100 to 500 hryvnia.
Whilst this is good media copy (designed to sell news more then votes) the suggestion that anyone would be in a position to sell their vote let alone someone buying it is beyond reason and reality.
The reasons are simple. In order to influence the change in the election you would need to buy 5 to 10 percent of the electorate. - One to two million votes. There are not enough votes out there for sale, at a cost of 500 million to one billion.
Second and most important you would never know if the vote you had bought was delivered and who failed to deliver it.
This is a joke, an electoral scam that is no different then the candidate that changed his name to "Against all".
A bit like selling/buying property on the moon it can never be realized.
Jamestown Foundation has published this summary of vote allegations
Quote:
Aleksandr Torshin noted. that Tymoshenko’s team had more than enough registered observers to prevent irregularities (Interfax, January 7).
Whilst this is good media copy (designed to sell news more then votes) the suggestion that anyone would be in a position to sell their vote let alone someone buying it is beyond reason and reality.
The reasons are simple. In order to influence the change in the election you would need to buy 5 to 10 percent of the electorate. - One to two million votes. There are not enough votes out there for sale, at a cost of 500 million to one billion.
Second and most important you would never know if the vote you had bought was delivered and who failed to deliver it.
This is a joke, an electoral scam that is no different then the candidate that changed his name to "Against all".
A bit like selling/buying property on the moon it can never be realized.
Jamestown Foundation has published this summary of vote allegations
Quote:
Andry Portnov, a key legal adviser to Tymoshenko, told 5 Kanal on December 8 that there were no reasons to expect massive irregularities. He also said that Tymoshenko’s party was happy with the current election law and did not plan to propose any amendments to it.
People directly involved in the election process have appealed for calm. Oleksandr Chernenko, the leader of the Committee of Voters election watchdog, noted that TsVK’s decision on home voting was fully in line with the election law for which Tymoshenko’s party had voted in parliament (UNIAN, January 7). TsVK Chairman Volodymyr Shapoval warned against making unsubstantiated accusations of ballot rigging. He said he knew of no cases involving an official accused of election irregularities being named or their guilt proven. He called on the law-enforcement bodies to provide names and open criminal cases if they found anything (Interfax-Ukraine, January 11).
Aleksandr Torshin noted. that Tymoshenko’s team had more than enough registered observers to prevent irregularities (Interfax, January 7).
Comments
All other polls including the survey conducted by U.S.-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems and financed by the United States Agency for International Development have Tigipko ten percentage points behind Tymoshenko.
You need to look back at the last two parliamentary votes to understand the political makeup of the electorate. Not much has changed. And I can not see Yulia Tymoshenko's support collapsing.
Tigipko does not have a natural constituency and whilst he has spent a lot of money on his campaign and will most likely pickup a lot of the disillusioned vote 10 percent as a log of ground to make up.
In the end I do not think it matters much who wins.
The whole concept of presidential authority is seriously flawed.
Tigipko has allegedly spent 90 million dollars on his campaign with over one billion dollars combined spent by all players,. And to what benefit.
Tigipko has no support base in the parliament and unless he aligns himself with one of the main factions the problems facing Ukraine will continue and only get worst.
The immediate thing in this election as I see it is to remove Yushchenko from office. To this end Tigipko is doing well.
This election is in effect a referendum on Yushchenko and his presidency
Yushchenko is the most undemocratic divisive president I have ever seen.
Problem is once a person tastes power they want more. Along with this individual lust for power is more division and more instability
The real solution to Ukraine's problems lies with its Parliament and Ukraine's ability to embrace constitutional reform and adoption of a European parliamentary system of governance. Then and only then will Ukraine become a free independent democratic state.