Putin Narrative of Abandoned Ukraine East Fueled by Vote [View all]
By Daryna Krasnolutska Oct 27, 2014 6:00 PM ET
Vladimir Putin may have more ammunition to extend his influence over the Ukraines war-torn east after the countrys parliamentary election.
A surge in support for pro-European parties leaves the area, the bedrock of ousted leader Viktor Yanukovychs popularity, with less of a say in the nations future. Parties backing President Petro Poroshenkos bid to steer Ukraine away from its Soviet past are set to form a coalition, a move that may make reconciliation in the east more difficult and fuel complaints from Putin that Russian speakers are being trampled.
The outcome will muffle input from areas that hug Russias border as Poroshenko embarks on a political and economic transformation he says will prime Ukraine for European Union membership. It risks further inflaming tensions between Russia and its former Cold War adversaries, whose clashes over the annexation of Crimea and Ukraines insurgency have triggered a wave of sanctions.
Besides the near-collapse of former President Yanukovychs camp, several seats have been left unoccupied and the east saw a comparably low turnout, Otilia Dhand, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence, said by e-mail from London. Russia will almost certainly challenge the legitimacy and representativeness of these elections.
Wartime Vote
The ballot took place amid a shaky cease-fire in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where pro-Russian separatists blocked voting in the areas they control. Turnout was just over 30 percent, about half what it was two years ago.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-27/putin-narrative-of-abandoned-ukraine-east-fueled-by-vote.html