Editor's Note: On Oct. 26 Ukrainians voted to elect the new Verkhovna Rada, a 450-seat single-house legislative body. Originally, the elections were expected in 2017, but the EuroMaidan Revolution changed the flow of events in the 45-million country and led to early parliamentary campaign. These elections are based on a mixed-member proportional representation. According to the law, 225 deputies will be elected on party lists and 225 in single-member constituencies. However, given that the elections won't be held at 12 single-seat constituencies in Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as at 15 constituencies in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, at most 423 members of parliament out of 450 will be elected.
Oct. 27, 6 p.m. – Around 70 lawmakers who voted for the Jan. 16 dictatorial laws will get into the new parliament, Viktoria Siumar, number seven on Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front list, said during a press conference in Kyiv on Oct. 27.
Earlier it was reported that some 62 deputies who had backed the anti-democratic Jan. 16 laws would be re-elected to the Verkhovna Rada, according to the findings of the Center of Political Studies and Analysis, a think-tank.
The Opposition Bloc only, which got 9.86 percent of the vote, will return to parliament some 8 deputies who voted for the laws, according to the think-tank. Those candidates receive the strongest support in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhya and Cherkasy oblasts. — Olena Goncharova
Joint statement on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso
Oct. 27, 5:40 p.m. – The EU welcomes the holding of
parliamentary elections in Ukraine on Oct. 26. We take good note of the OSCE/ODIHR’s
preliminary assessment that they marked an important step in Ukraine’s
aspirations to consolidate democratic elections in line with its international
commitments. This was a victory of the people of Ukraine and of democracy. The
electoral mandate given by the Ukrainian people must now be implemented.
We look forward to the early formation of a new
Government. On the basis of the outcome of the elections a broad national
consensus should be sought in view of intensifying much needed political and
economic reforms in Ukraine. A reinvigorated reform process, including the
launching of a country-wide national dialogue, will be crucial in view of
Ukraine’s political association and economic integration with the EU and to
consolidate Ukraine’s unity and internal cohesion. We look forward to working
closely together with the new Verkhovna Rada and the future new government to
assist in these endeavours.
We reiterate the importance that the upcoming early
local elections in Donbas later this year will be held under Ukrainian law and
will serve the same goal of de-escalation and focusing on reforms through an
inclusive dialogue between the Ukrainian Government and democratically elected
representatives.
Oct. 27, 4:50 p.m. – Viktoria
Siumar, number seven on Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front list and ex-deputy secretary of the National
Security and Defense Council, said the parliament should transform not only with
the help of new people who will appear in Verkhovna Rada, but rather because of
the “quality” of the new parliament.
“We
have set up new qualities, transparency, and efficiency. This is a key
challenge for my generation,” Siumar posted to her Facebook on Oct. 27. “The level
of support we’ve got is incredibly obligating. But this is our chance. There
will be no excuses for a failure,” Syumar said.
Iryna
Bekeshkina, the head of Democratic Initiatives Foundation, said the success of
the People’s Front was a surprise, as the latest polls conducted days before
elections showed that the party was about to get some 11 percent of support, while it seems to end up with over 21.58 percent of votes in their favor.
“Nobody
expected them to perform so well. But I guess it’s the result of the effective
campaign that explained that if Ukrainians wanted to see (Arseniy)
Yatsenyuk as a prime minister they should have voted for the People’s Front. Earlier 34
percent of the respondents said they want Yatsenyuk to remain as a prime
minister, according to our latest survey,” Bekeshkina told the Kyiv Post.
The People’s
Front got most of support in Ivano Frankivsk, Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne, Poltava
and Kyiv Oblasts. Around 63 deputies will get to the parliament through the party
list and some 17 candidates through single-mandate districts. — Olena Goncharova
Vitali
Klitschko to remain mayor of Kyiv despite No. 1 spot on party list
Oct. 27, 4:20 p.m. – Kyiv
Mayor Vitali Klitschkio says will continue a reform agenda as the city’s top
manager and hopes the newly elected parliament enacts legislation that will help
the capital develop in the near future.
“I have high hopes for the new
parliament. The capital and the parliament should work together. We need to
pass a lot of bills. One of the key bills is changes to the legislation dealing
with the payment of the personal income tax to the Kyiv budget. For this
reason, all taxes paid by Kyiv residents should stay in Kyiv. The city budget
currently has a deficit of over Hr 3 billion, and over 8 billion is taken from
us every year,” he said.
He led President Petro Poroshenko’s bloc
party list, but previously has said he won’t leave the post of Kyiv mayor.
“I have said more than once
that the people of Kyiv have given me a large amount of trust to implement the
needed reforms, the people of Kyiv have high expectations and I will not let
them down. However, having assumed the responsibility by heading a unified
list, I am leading my comrades to the Verkhovna Rada, and they should meet
people’s expectations not only in Kyiv, but all across the entire territory of
the country and carry out reforms. I will not leave the post of mayor for parliament,”
Klitschko said. – Mark Rachkevych
Oct. 27, 3:30 p.m. – According to the Central Election Commission, over 57 percent of the votes have been processed with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front in the lead with 21.57 percent. President Petro Poroshenko’ Bloc is in close second with 21.42 percent, followed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy’s Samopomich Party, who enjoys 11.16 percent of support. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 2:59 p.m. – The text of the coalition agreement, which turned out to be “a plan that will unite factions in the new parliament,” will be released by the end of the day, Yuriy Lutsenko, the leader of President Petro Poroshenko Bloc, said at the news conference on Oct. 27.
“The agreement will include an abridged version of the presidential program “Strategy 2020,” and will also outline a number of legislative initiatives which will support the parliamentary majority,” Lutsenko explained.
According to him, the president and prime minister has held talks on the formation of the coalition. Also the representatives of Samopomich party, Svoboda and Batkivshchyna will be invited to take part in the negotiations. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 2:20 p.m. – The Oct. 26 early parliamentary elections marked “an important step in consolidating democratic elections in line with international commitments, and were characterized by many positive aspects,” international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today.
“At this crucial moment for the future of their country, Ukraine’s institutions and voters responded to daunting challenges with an election that largely upheld democratic commitments,” Kent Härstedt, the Special coordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission said.
Oct. 27, 1:55 p.m. – Most of
Ukrainian servicemen who have been fighting in the restive east, have cast their ballots on Election Day, Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the
Information and Analytical Center of the National Security and Defense Council
said.
“Around
10,000 of Ukrainian fighters voted in the war-zone,” Lysenko said during the
briefing in Kyiv, adding that no problems with the voting process was reported. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 12:45 p.m. – Four parties, including President Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front, Oleh Liashko’s Radical Party and Batkivshcyna violated “a day of silence,” a ban on political campaigning prior to elections, according to Oleksiy Koshel, the chairman of the Committee of Voters, an election watchdog.
“Those parties used their symbols on a number of billboards the day before elections, which can be considered a violation of (the election) law,” Koshel said at the news conference on Oct. 27. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 11:40 a.m. – Local election watchdog Committee of Voters of Ukraine asks the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to recognize the results of elections in constituency No. 102 , where Oles Dovhiy leads. The Kyiv native who was part of disgraced ex-Kyiv mayor Leonid Chernovetsky’s team, ran for parliament in the town of Svitlovodsk in Kirovohrad Oblast.
A number of violations were reported there, including assault and robbery, violations of electoral legislation both during the campaign and on Election Day, according to Oleksiy Koshel, chairman of the Committee of Voters. “Major violations were widespread. They affected the outcome of the vote, so we call on the CEC to examine those facts and make a decision regarding the impossibility of counting votes in this district,” Koshel said at the news conference on Oct. 27.
He also insisted that the CEC study the results of the elections in a number of single-mandate districts in Donetsk Oblast, including district No. 45 in Kurakhove town, where Yukhym Zviahilsky, Party of Regions lawmaker and honored president of Zasiadko coalmine won.
The CEC reported some 1,454 residents supported Zviahilsky. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 11:22 a.m. – European politicians endorsed parliamentary elections in Ukraine. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has congratulated the Ukrainian people on holding the elections for the Verkhovna Rada and said he sees them as a victory of democracy. “Congratulations to the people of Ukraine! Victory of democracy and European reforms’ agenda,” he wrote on Twitter on Oct. 27.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Twitter that Ukrainians “have elected the most pro-European parliament in the country’s history, according to exit polls.”
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Daniel Baer said Ukraine’s parliamentary elections vote “is yet another step in Ukraine’s democratic journey,” reads the statement. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 10:46 a.m. – With 36.5 percent of votes counted, six parties enter parliament. Svoboda lacks 0.36 of votes to pass the 5 percent threshold. In the meantime, six Svoboda party candidates are winning in single-mandate districts in Kyiv, Poltava, Ternopil, and Rivne oblasts and in some districts of Kyiv city. Svoboda’s Andriy Illienko of Desniansky 215 district and Yuriy Levchenko, who got in elected in favor of Viktor Pylypyshyn in Shevchenkivsky 223 district, which was the most scandal-hit one in 2012 parliamentary elections are currently leading. — Olena Goncharova
Oct. 27, 10:10 a.m. – According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), over 33 percent of the votes have been processed with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front in the lead with 21.57 percent. President Petro Poroshenko’ Bloc is in close second with 21.54 percent, followed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy’s Samopomich Party.
Most likely the president will form a coalition government that could give him a constitutional majority of over 300 votes with People’s Front, Samopomich and Batkivshchyna party. In a Twitter post, Poroshenko said he wanted to join with Yatseniuk’s party.
The Opposition Bloc, consisting mostly of former Party of Region, is fourth place with 9.77 percent. They lead mostly in Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts, and holds a majority in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts, the CEC said.
In other parts of Ukraine, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and the People’s Front are the leaders with differing numbers of votes between them, and other political forces are in the lead in a few districts.
Oleh Liashko’s Radical Party and Batkivshchyna party have passed the 5 percent threshold so far, while the Svoboda party got some 4.63 percent of the votes so far with 201,461.
The Communist Party appears to be falling short for the first time since Ukraine’s independence in 1991.
Turnout in the election reached 52.42 percent, the central electoral commission said. — Olena Goncharova
