Recently in Elections Category
Ukraine's Administrative Court has suspended the results of the country's February 7 runoff presidential election while it considers an appeal filed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych defeated Tymoshenko in the election by 3.48% of the vote. Yanukovych's inauguration is currently scheduled for February 25.
Despite the declaration by international election monitors that the vote was free and fair, Tymoshenko claims the vote was fraudulent. Yesterday, Tymoshenko submitted to the court what she said is evidence of election fraud. Tymoshenko claims to have uncovered evidence of fraud in favor of Yanukovych at every polling station in Crimea, possibly accounting for over 1 million votes. She also claims to have the support of several individual OSCE observers and videos of their assessments. The OSCE has denied the existence of any videos that support Tymoshenko's claims.
At this point, I'm not sure what to believe. However, it is interesting that Tymoshenko is limiting her fight to the courts. She says she will not be arranging any public protests, similar to the 2004 Orange Revolution.
Is it possible that Tymoshenko is not calling for public protests because she does not have credibility with the Ukrainian people to successfully arrange for such a gathering? By not calling for public protests, Tymoshenko appears to be making this a personal issue instead of fighting for the rights of the Ukrainian people to have a fair election.
Despite the declaration by international election monitors that the vote was free and fair, Tymoshenko claims the vote was fraudulent. Yesterday, Tymoshenko submitted to the court what she said is evidence of election fraud. Tymoshenko claims to have uncovered evidence of fraud in favor of Yanukovych at every polling station in Crimea, possibly accounting for over 1 million votes. She also claims to have the support of several individual OSCE observers and videos of their assessments. The OSCE has denied the existence of any videos that support Tymoshenko's claims.
At this point, I'm not sure what to believe. However, it is interesting that Tymoshenko is limiting her fight to the courts. She says she will not be arranging any public protests, similar to the 2004 Orange Revolution.
Is it possible that Tymoshenko is not calling for public protests because she does not have credibility with the Ukrainian people to successfully arrange for such a gathering? By not calling for public protests, Tymoshenko appears to be making this a personal issue instead of fighting for the rights of the Ukrainian people to have a fair election.
Several exit polls indicate opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych has narrowly won Sunday's presidential runoff election in Ukraine. Challenger and current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is expected to challenge the election results.Ukraine's National Exit Poll 2010, which is conducted by a group of leading pollsters, indicated Yanukovych, the leader of the Party of Regions, received 48.7% of the vote, as compared to 45.5% for Tymoshenko. The poll's margin of error is 2.5%.
International market research firm GfK Group indicated a larger margin of victory for Yanukovych, 49.8% to 45.2%, with a margin of error of 1.6%.
It appears that many Ukrainians were not voting for a particular candidate, as much as they were voting against the other.
Outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko urged his supporters to vote against both Yanukovych and Tymoshenko, saying that Ukrainians will be ashamed of the choice they have to make.
Oleksandr Turchynov, Tymoshenko's campaign manager, said they would contest votes cast at over 1,000 polling stations in Ukraine's Donetsk region, an area that strongly supports Yanukovych. Turchynov indicated that Tymoshenko delegates were barred from polling places in the region. Turchynov also complained of multiple voting and bribery.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry said they had not received reports of serious violations during Sunday's vote.
Yanukovych has indicated if he became president, he will attempt to remove Tymoshenko as prime minister by encouraging defections from her coalition and forming his own parliamentary majority. If that fails, he plans to call for a new parliamentary election a year ahead of schedule.
These election results reflect the feelings of many Ukrainians that the Orange Revolutioin failed to deliver prosperity and stability. Instead, it led to regular bouts of political infighting and the country's current economic crisis. What a shame!
Photo: Rowland Goodman - Creative Commons
On January 17, 2010 Ukraine held its presidential election. With over 80% of the vote counted, it is clear that Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych and current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will face off in a second round runoff election on February 7.Other candidates include former Central Bank Chairman Sergey Tigipko, former Foreign Minister and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Arseniy Yatseniuk and incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko.
The following are the latest results of Sunday's first round of voting, as reported by Ukraine's Central Election Commission (with percentage of votes):
- Viktor Yanukovych - 35.76%
- Yulia Tymoshenko - 24.72%
- Sergey Tigipko - 13.05%
- Arseniy Yatseniuk - 6.96%
- Viktor Yushchenko - 5.33%
After a lengthy layoff, today seems like a good time to return to discussions about Ukrainian politics. Ukraine's next presidential election is scheduled for January 17, 2010. If a second round ballot is necessary, it is expected to occur in February 2010.
According to an August 20, 2009 poll of 3,011 respondents by Kyiv-based Research & Branding Group, the Party of Regions' Viktor Yanukovych will become Ukraine's next president. Incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko has little chance of being a factor in the election. The poll results were:
Technically, with the exception of less internal bickering, it may be difficult to see any changes in government, but it could very well be a throwback to the Leonid Kuchma era. Remember, Yanukovych was Kuchma's handpicked successor, but still lost to Yushchenko in the 2004 election, due in part to the Orange Revolution.
Don't expect a repeat of the Orange Revolution this time. Yushchenko and Tymoshenko completely blew their chance to effect real change in Ukraine. After all the nonsense of the last five years, all the people want now is a stable political situation and to reverse the course of the country's economic downturn.
According to an August 20, 2009 poll of 3,011 respondents by Kyiv-based Research & Branding Group, the Party of Regions' Viktor Yanukovych will become Ukraine's next president. Incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko has little chance of being a factor in the election. The poll results were:
- Viktor Yanukovych - 26%
- Yulia Tymoshenko - 16.5%
- Arseniy Yatseniuk - 12.6%
- Petro Simonenko - 4.5%
- Vladimir Lytvyn - 4.2%
- Viktor Yushchenko - 2%
- Others - 7.3%
- Against all candidates - 9.9%
- Viktor Yanukovych - 39.6%
- Yulia Tymoshenko - 28%
- Against all candidates - 19%
- Will not vote - 6.8%
- Difficult to answer - 6.6%
- Party of Regions - 27.9%
- Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc - 16%
- Arseniy Yatseniuk Bloc - 9.2%
- Vladimir Lytvyn Bloc - 4.8%
- Communist Party - 4.4%
- Others - 9.4%
- Against all parties - 9.6%
- Will not vote - 7.1%
- Difficult to answer - 11.6%
Technically, with the exception of less internal bickering, it may be difficult to see any changes in government, but it could very well be a throwback to the Leonid Kuchma era. Remember, Yanukovych was Kuchma's handpicked successor, but still lost to Yushchenko in the 2004 election, due in part to the Orange Revolution.
Don't expect a repeat of the Orange Revolution this time. Yushchenko and Tymoshenko completely blew their chance to effect real change in Ukraine. After all the nonsense of the last five years, all the people want now is a stable political situation and to reverse the course of the country's economic downturn.
A recent public opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv International Sociology Institute indicates Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych has increased his lead heading toward the next Ukrainian presidential election.
The poll results are:
This latest poll was conducted by interviewing 1,984 Ukrainian citizens between March 26 and April 17, 2009. The margin of error is 2.5%.
The poll results are:
- Viktor Yanukovych (Party of Regions) - 25.6%
- Yulia Tymoshenko (Prime Minister/BYuT) - 14.4%
- Arseniy Yatsenyuk (former Parliament Speaker) - 13.6%
- Petro Symonenko (Communist Party) - 3.3%
- Volodymyr Lytvyn (current Parliament Speaker/Lytvyn Bloc) - 2.9%
- Viktor Yushchenko (current President) - 2.4%
This latest poll was conducted by interviewing 1,984 Ukrainian citizens between March 26 and April 17, 2009. The margin of error is 2.5%.
Last week, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko indicated that the snap election scheduled for December 14 will be delayed until 2009. Yushchenko said it would not be reasonable to hold elections during the holiday season.
That may be his public line, but the real reason for delay is Yushchenko’s inability to get the government to approve funds to hold the election. Political Analyst Volodomyr Fesenko said that Yushchenko is waiting until the country’s deepening financial crisis chips away at Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s popularity and influence.
If this is true, it is the latest move by Yushchenko as he tries to position himself for a run at a second term of President.
That may be his public line, but the real reason for delay is Yushchenko’s inability to get the government to approve funds to hold the election. Political Analyst Volodomyr Fesenko said that Yushchenko is waiting until the country’s deepening financial crisis chips away at Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s popularity and influence.
If this is true, it is the latest move by Yushchenko as he tries to position himself for a run at a second term of President.
Due to a severe economic downturn, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchennko postponed the upcoming pre-term parliamentary election by one week, to December 14.
Yushchenko issued a decree to allow the now dissolved Parliament to work for several days on legislation to aid the country’s economy, which has been hit hard by the world financial crisis. The decree also set up a 1 billion hryvnia fund ($200 million) to help Ukraine’s banking sector.
The election delay is most likely due to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s attempts to block preparations for the vote. The original December 7 date cannot be met due to appeals filed by Tymoshenko in court.
Yushchenko issued a decree to allow the now dissolved Parliament to work for several days on legislation to aid the country’s economy, which has been hit hard by the world financial crisis. The decree also set up a 1 billion hryvnia fund ($200 million) to help Ukraine’s banking sector.
The election delay is most likely due to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s attempts to block preparations for the vote. The original December 7 date cannot be met due to appeals filed by Tymoshenko in court.
According to Sofia Social Research Center expert Oleksandr Levtsun, Ukrainian citizens would prefer a new parliamentary coalition consisting of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and the pro-Russian Party of Regions.The poll of 2,005 people, conducted between September 9 and September 17, followed the dissolution of the “Orange” coalition between BYuT and President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine People’s Self Defense Bloc (OU-PSD). Poll results revealed the following:
Positive Responses
- BYuT/Party of Regions - 41.4%
- Party of Regions/Communist Party/Lytvyn Bloc - 34.4%
- BYuT/OU-PSD - 26.4%
- OU-PSD/Party of Regions - 7.5%
- OU-PSD/Party of Regions - 77.7%
- BYuT/OU-PSD - 57.9%
- Party of Regions/Communist Party/Lytvyn Bloc - 48.5%
- BYuT/Party of Regions - 42.1%
Wow. I’m surprised the researchers found enough participants that currently care about a parliamentary coalition. My understanding is that most Ukrainian citizens have had enough of all the elections and political battles that have plagued the country since the 2004 Orange Revolution.
Photo: Qatar - Creative Commons
With 99.99% of votes counted in Slovenia’s September 21, 2008 parliamentary election, the opposition Social Democrats hold a narrow lead over the incumbent Slovenian Democratic Party. Total turnout was estimated to be 62.2%. Official results are not expected until September 30 or October 1 so votes from abroad can be counted.Borut Pahor, leader of the Social Democrats, said coalition talks would begin as soon as the official results are announced. The new coalition will likely consist of the Social Democrats, Zares, Democratic Party of Pensioners and Liberal Democracy of Slovenia.
The vote reflects the feelings of many Slovenians - that conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa failed to properly deal with high inflation. Allegations of corruption also hurt Jansa’s party.
Currently, the State Electoral Commission has provided the following unofficial results (with vote percentage and number of seats won)*:
- Social Democrats (SD) - 30.5% (29)
- Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) - 29.3% (28)
- Zares - 9.4% (9)
- Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia - 7.45% (7)
- Slovenian National Party - 5.46% (5)
- Slovenian People’s Party/Youth Party of Slovenia - 5.24% (5)
- Liberal Democracy of Slovenia - 5.19% (5)
- New Slovenia - Christian People’s Party - 3.25%
- Lipa - 1.82%
- List for Justice and Development - 0.56%
- Greens of Slovenia - 0.49%
- Christian Democratic Party - 0.43%
- List for Clear Drinking Water - 0.39%
- Party of the Slovenian People - 0.24%
- Green Coalition: Green Party and Green Progress - 0.21%
- Forward Slovenia - 0.04%
- Acacia - 0.02%
The results are in from the December 2, 2007 Russian Parliamentary election and there are no surprises. United Russia easily won, gaining an additional 16 seats in the Duma as compared to the last election. 63% of eligible voters turned out to vote for one of the 11 competing political parties.
The structure of the new, incoming Duma is (party with number of seats):
- United Russia - 315
- Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 57
- Liberal Democratic Party of Russia - 40
- A Just Russia Party (pro-Kremlin) - 38
I guess it's time to get ready for Prime Minister Putin.
