From 7 will 23 September 2020, the Council of Europe in the framework of its project “Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine” and in cooperation with Ukrainian NGO “Human Rights Platform” organised and conducted 8 awareness-raising webinars about key aspects of upcoming local elections in Ukraine scheduled on 25 October 2020.

The main purpose of the webinars is to inform as many subjects and participants of the electoral process as possible, including voters, about the main legislative novelties and features of the organization and conduct of 2020 local elections in Ukraine. Herewith, specific attention during the webinars was paid to the issue of holding elections in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Webinars were broadcasted in Ukrainian, Ukrainian sign language and English, and webinars recordings have already received more than 16,000 views.

The webinars’ discussions were focused around the following topics:

• main stages of the electoral process, electoral schedule and deadlines;
• organisation of the electoral process and the system of election commissions at local elections, their hierarchy and powers;
• local self-government bodies to be elected;
• procedure of nomination and registration of candidates to local councils and to the positions of village, settlement and city mayors;
• electoral systems to be used at local elections and the way in which the winners of the local elections will be determined;
• media coverage of the electoral process;
• election campaigning, its financing and reporting on expenditures;
• election dispute resolution and protection of voting rights during the electoral process.

Among the webinars’ guests and experts, there were representatives of the Council of Europe various national partner organizations and institutions:

• Andriy Hevko, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine;
• Pavlo Lyubchenko, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine;
• Victoria Glushchenko, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine;
• Natalia Vadimova, deputy head of the Secretariat of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine;
• Leontiy Shypilov, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (2018 – 2019);
• Volodymyr Venger, associate professor at the Department of general theoretical law and public law of the National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”;
• Oleksandr Burmahin, executive director, Ukrainian NGO “Human Rights Platform”;
• Lyudmyla Opryshko, media lawyer, Ukrainian NGO “Human Rights Platform”;
• Olga Kotsiuruba, senior legal adviser, Ukrainian NGO “Civil Network OPORA”;
• Pavlo Romaniuk, legal adviser, Ukrainian NGO “Civil Network OPORA”;
• Diana Dutsyk, media expert, executive director, Ukrainian NGO “Ukrainian Media and Communication Institute”.

During the webinars, Andriy Hevko, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, urged citizens to vote responsibly and conscientiously: "It is important that voters, when voting, make their informed choice with understanding that they elect local authorities, not the national authorities. It is important to make it clear”.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Burmahin, executive director of Ukrainian NGO “Human Rights Platform”, stressed on the importance to ensure electoral rights and transparent media coverage of elections: “Democratic elections are not possible, if freedom of speech and press is not ensured. The media coverage of elections shall be truthful, balanced, impartial and in line with international framework agreements, including those adopted by the Council of Europe”.

The webinars’ recordings are available at the Facebook pages of the Council of Europe electoral assistance projects in Ukraine and Ukrainian NGO “Human Rights Platform”, and following the links:

• Webinar 1 “Anatomy of the electoral process or what to expect on the eve of local elections?”
• Webinar 2 “Who is responsible for organization and conduct of elections?"
• Webinar 3 “Whom will we elect at 2020 local elections?”
• Webinar 4 “What is the fate of our votes or how will we elect at 2020 local elections?”
• Webinar 5 “Media during 2020 local elections: coverage vs manipulation”
• Webinar 6 "Who and how can campaign during 2020 local elections?"
• Webinar 7 “Where to find money for elections and how to report on them?”
• Webinar 8 “How to protect your rights during 2020 local elections?”
• Key points from a series of webinars

* Webinars were organised with the support of the Council of Europe project “Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022.