Public Forum “Follow the Money”

On September 10, a public forum “Follow the Money” was held in Zhmerynka. The event focused on the transparency of local elections, the responsibility of candidates, and the role of citizens in overseeing the electoral process.

During the forum, representatives of the political parties “Samopomich”, “Oleh Liashko’s Radical Party” and “UKROP” signed a Declaration of Responsibility.

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What the participants agreed on

By signing the Declaration of Responsibility, representatives of the political forces publicly committed themselves to:

• conducting an honest election campaign;
• providing the public with reports on campaign spending;
• publishing declarations of income and expenses;
• publicly reporting to the community after being elected.

Such commitments are important for developing a transparent political culture at the local level, as voters have the right to know how campaigns are financed and how candidates fulfil their promises after elections.

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Public oversight and government accountability

“Ukrainians are gradually beginning to understand: if we want the authorities and politicians to change, we, ordinary citizens, need to learn how to monitor the authorities and cooperate with them. This is the only way we will build a new country!” said Vita Dumanska, coordinator of the CHESNO civic movement.

The forum was held to draw the community’s attention to the importance of fair local elections in Zhmerynka. It was attended by 19 representatives of political parties, mayoral candidates, civic activists and residents of Zhmerynka.

For the community, events like this are an opportunity not only to hear from candidates, but also to raise questions about transparency, financial responsibility and accountability to voters.

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The “Follow the Money” campaign

During the 2015 local elections, activists of the “Follow the Money” campaign monitored whether actual spending on political advertising corresponded to the official information on advertising budgets submitted by political parties and mayoral candidates to the Central Election Commission.

This kind of monitoring helps strengthen the transparency of the electoral process, reduce the risks of hidden financing and draw citizens’ attention to how money influences political competition.

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Coordination in Zhmerynka

The coordinator of the “Follow the Money” campaign in Zhmerynka is Andrii Silchenko.

For NGO “Unique Country”, participation in such initiatives is part of our consistent work in civic education, transparency, democratic participation and the accountability of authorities to the community.