A practice of rigging or buying votes in Ukraine should sink into oblivion, while such actions should be punished under law. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman at a Gov’t session Wednesday. He told the Government had developed a special bill that is to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada and could be approved in the near future.

According to the Head of Government, the relevance of the initiative is undeniable, as the year of 2019 is a year of presidential and parliamentary elections.

"People should have a clear understanding in Ukraine: those who try to commit fraud, buy or sell votes, shall be liable under law", urged the Head of Government.

Background

The bill was developed by the Ministry of the Interior in synergy with public organizations. It amends to certain legislative acts, including the Criminal Code. The core objective of the draft law is to provide for punishment for violating the rights of voters and to prevent attempts to encroach on election rights. During the work on the bill, a survey showed that 68% of Ukrainian citizens express dissatisfaction with the transparency of electoral processes.