Ukrainian Police Receive Over 280 Reports Of Electoral Irregularities In Runoff - Ministry

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2019) The Ukrainian police have received 281 reports of electoral irregularities in the Sunday presidential runoff vote, Zoryan Shkiryak, the Ukrainian interior minister's adviser, said.

Polling places opened at 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) on Sunday in Ukraine marking the start of the second round of the presidential election. According to opinion polls, conducted ahead of the runoff, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko is supported by about 25 percent of voters, while his opponent Volodymyr Zelenskiy by about 70 percent.

"There are a total of 281 [reports on] irregularities as of 12:00 p.m. [09:00 a.m. GMT]," Shkiryak said, adding that the most of the reports were connected to illegal agitation, taking photos of bulletins and bribing of voters.

This year is the first time that Russian observers have been denied access to monitor the election. Because of this, Moscow has expressed concern over the legitimacy of Ukraine's election and its results. In addition, Kiev did not organize polling places either in those parts of the eastern Donbas region that are not controlled by Kiev, or in Russia, where the largest diaspora of the Ukrainian people lives, which has affected up to 10 million eligible Ukrainian voters.

The Ukrainian president is elected for a five-year term. The Ukrainian Central Election Commission has until May 1 inclusively to announce the results of the second round. The inauguration of the new president will take place before June 3.