Days before the hotly contested Ukrainian presidential election on March 31, incumbent Petro Poroshenko’s party faces credible allegations of voter bribery. It’s not hard to guess what will happen next. The oligarchic clique will steal the election, and in response, international observers will accuse local authorities of vote-rigging. But instead of addressing the symptoms of democratic backsliding, it’s time to treat the root cause: informal power.
2019 Presidential Election
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Mikheil Saakashvili: Oligarchs suffocate what’s left of democracy
A woman holds a portrait of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko while people listen to his speech during a campaign rally in Kyiv on March 17, 2019.
