Incumbent PM Zakharchenko leads in Donetsk elections with over 80% – exit poll

Published time: November 02, 2014 18:33
Edited time: November 02, 2014 19:48

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RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko

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Incumbent PM Aleksandr Zakharchenko is leading in Sunday’s elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, taking over 80 percent of the votes, according to an exit poll.

Zakharchenko is ahead of his rivals with 81,37 percent of votes, the head of the Central Election Commission of the DPR, Roman Lyagin, said on Sunday evening.

He was trailed by Aleksandr Kofman, deputy speaker of the Novorossiya Union parliament, who carried 9.73 percent of the votes. Yury Sivokonenko, an MP from the local Supreme Council, gained nine percent.

Meanwhile, the lead in the parliamentary elections – also held on Sunday – is being claimed by Zakharchenko’s Donetsk Republic party, which has 65.11 percent, the head of the Election Commission added. The rival Svobodniy Donbass party is collecting 34.89 percent of the votes.

Members of the self-defense forces cast their votes during the elections for the leader and the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic (RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko)

The self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk took to polling stations to vote for their leaders and MPs on Sunday. Over 360 polling stations were open in Donetsk for three million potential voters. Meanwhile, 102 polling stations for approximately 1.5 million voters were open in Lugansk.

In Lugansk, the overall turnout exceeded 60 percent, according to the head of the Central Election Commission in the LPR, Sergey Kozyakov. He added that by 8p.m. local time, nearly 630,000 residents had come to cast their votes.

Kiev has said it will not recognize the elections, as they contradict Ukrainian legislation. Ukraine’s Security Service has opened a criminal case against the organizers of the elections in Donetsk and Lugansk.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko condemned the elections as illegitimate on Sunday and called on Russia not to recognize the results.

„I count on Russia not to recognize the so-called elections because they are a clear violation of the September 5 Minsk protocol, which was also signed by Russia’s representative,“ he said in a statement.

Luhansk residents cast their votes at a polling station during the elections for the head and the People’s Council of the Luhansk People’s Republic (Reuters / Valery Melnikov)

However, Moscow earlier pointed out that according to the Minsk peace agreements, elections in both Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics should be conducted between October 19 and November 3.

Thus Poroshenko’s order from October 16, which set the date of elections in the self-proclaimed republics for December 7, “contradicts the Minsk agreements,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Ukraine conducted parliamentary elections on October 26.

Elections in Donetsk republic absolutely legitimate — Russian observers

World

November 03, 11:44 UTC+3
Russian lawmakers who have monitored the elections in self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic unanimously name them legitimate and say Russia should recognize the results

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

DONETSK, November 3. /TASS/. The elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have been absolutely legitimate and should be recognized by Russia, Russian lawmakers who have monitored the eastern Ukrainian republic’s elections said on Monday.

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“The choice has been definitely made. I have worked as an observer at many elections, but neither in Russia nor in Europe people have voted so actively as here,” A Just Russia MP Oleg Pakholkov said. According to him, Russia should recognize the election results as soon as possible. “Delays in the recognition of Donbas will result in no good for both Russia and DPR,” said the lawmaker, adding that his faction would discuss the situation in Donbas at the party’s next plenary meeting.

His colleague Alexey Zhuravlev, member of the Rodina (Motherland) party who is also member of the United Russia faction in the State Duma lower house of Russia’s parliament, said the situation in which the United States and Eastern Europe said they did not recognize the polls even ahead of the elections, is absurd. “No observers from any country were barred from monitoring the voting process. In our view, the elections have been absolutely legitimate in full compliance with international standards. These elections should be recognized,” Zhuravlev said.

© Alexey Slavniy/TASS

Elected Donetsk, Luhansk representatives get mandate to restore peace — Russian ForMin

Member of the Communist Party (CPRF) faction in the Duma Alexander Yushchenko says the recent voting has legalized the DPR authority. “After these elections the republic’s residents have legally won the right to freedom. Before that they defended it by arms,” he said. “DPR has all chances to build a social state, free from the power of oligarchs.”

Head of the CIS affairs committee of the Duma Leonid Slutsky (LDPR faction) shared the colleagues’ view. “We have visited different polling stations. Our impressions surpassed all our expectations. People were voting enthusiastically and were certain that they open a new page in their history, linked with peaceful life and, strange as it may appear, with prosperity” Slutsky said. He added that the elections in the self-proclaimed republic were more open than the recent elections to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament). “The right to a nation’s self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter and we see as the Donbas residents are exercising it. As for the elections, we have not recorded any significant violation, the voting was held vey successfully and very effectively,” the head of the Duma CIS affairs committee said.