Following recent elections for the Public Oversight Council (RGC) at Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), significant concerns have emerged regarding the legitimacy of the voting process. Legal expert Rostyslav Kravets has highlighted potential irregularities, suggesting that the results warrant a criminal investigation.
Kravets pointed out that 15 candidates from six lesser-known civil organizations won the election, raising questions about the transparency of the voting process. He stated, “The objective suspicion is absolutely evident, and this pseudo-civil participation must come to an end.”
During the elections, Kravets noted a striking disparity in the vote counts between those who were elected and those who were not. He cited a specific instance where the difference between the 15th and 16th place candidates was 6,956 votes, representing a 40% gap, which he deemed implausible.
Further scrutiny was provided by fellow lawyer Oleg Shram, who observed similar patterns of voting discrepancies. He indicated that the results showed a significant divide between the last candidate to secure a position and those who fell short.
Expert Vyacheslav Panasyuk has also raised alarms regarding the voting process, utilizing statistical methods to analyze the results. His findings revealed a concerning repetition of identical ballots, an unusual concentration of support for certain candidates, and a sudden spike in voting activity towards the end of the voting period. Panasyuk emphasized the necessity for an independent audit of the election results.
One notable aspect of Panasyuk’s analysis was the concentration of votes within the largest IP clusters. He reported that the top 20 clusters accounted for 39.1% of all ballots, with the three largest clusters alone contributing 12.9%. While this concentration does not automatically indicate fraud, it is a critical factor typically examined during electronic voting audits.
The elections took place on June 10, 2026, via internet voting, resulting in the selection of candidates from six civil organizations: the Center for Public Control, Anti-Corruption Axe, Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, Ukrainian Legal Society, Institute for Equal Rights, and D7 Foundation.
The recent elections for Ukraine's Public Oversight Council at NABU have sparked allegations of voting irregularities. Legal experts are calling for a criminal investigation and an independent audit of the election results due to significant discrepancies in vote counts.