Safeguarding transparency: lessons from civil society’s oversight of the ESBU director competition

After eight months of monitoring and direct involvement in the civic struggle for a fair, transparent, and merit-based selection process, the MEZHA team outlines key findings from a process that revealed not only attempts to sabotage the competition and influence its outcome, but also the power of collective resistance.

These lessons matter for future competitions, as the risks to fairness and transparency still remain.

The report outlines key sabotage attempts – including unlawful interference by the Security Service of Ukraine, court challenges by candidates linked to the Presidential Office, and the Cabinet of Ministers’ illegal refusal to appoint competition winner Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi. It details how sustained pressure from Ukrainian civil society and international partners ultimately led to his appointment on 6 August, while warning that a post-competition polygraph requirement set a dangerous precedent for future selection processes.