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Consequences of the 2010 reform of Ukrainian local election legislation
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About publication
The report presents the results of expert monitoring of the consequences of the 2010 reform of Ukraine's electoral legislation. The study focuses on how the introduction of a mixed (proportional-majoritarian) electoral system affected the quality of the deputy corps and the representation of the interests of territorial communities. The authors analyze the activities of deputies in 15 local councils across five regions of Ukraine (Volyn, Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Kherson, and Chernihiv) following the elections
Who will benefit?
- This research will be useful for politicians and political strategists, political scientists and sociologists, analysts and experts, academics and students, as well as the general public interested in the electoral process
Key findings:
According to experts, the declared goals of the reform were not achieved: the change in the system did not lead to a significant improvement in the work of deputies or an increase in their accountability to voters. Monitoring revealed that the majority of citizens do not know their deputies, and the representatives themselves often fail to comply with legal requirements regarding public reporting and proper communication with the community. Researchers found no clear advantage in the quality of work performed by "majoritarian" deputies over "list-based" ones, as the effectiveness of their activities depended primarily on the personal qualities and resources of the specific deputy rather than the method of their election. Based on these findings, the authors propose a comprehensive improvement of the legislation, specifically detailing the requirements for the openness and accountability of local representatives.