After an apparent victory of pro-Western parties during the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko plans on beginning coalition talks. According to early results, Petro Poroshenko’s bloc and that of Aseniy Yatseniuk each took 22% of the vote. Third, with 11% was Self Help based in western Ukraine and Opposition Block fourth, with 9.8%. Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party and Yulia Tymoshenko’s Fatherland barely polled above the 5% threshold for parliament entrance. Pro-Russian Communist Party, as well as all other parties were below the minimum. However there was no voting in the eastern regions which are still under the control of pro-Russian rebels. The pro-Russian rebels plan to hold their own elections on November 2. Also, citizens of Crimea, who kept their Ukrainian citizenship can travel to Ukraine, in order to vote. These elections come amid the energy crisis generated by the cut of gas supplies to Ukraine in June by Russia. Russia decided to cut Ukraine’s gas supplies over unpaid bills, as Ukraine’s economy hit its lowest point, close to collapse.
Petro Poroshenko said in a news conference: “More than three-quarters of voters who took part in the polls gave strong and irreversible backing to Ukraine’s path to Europe”. He stressed the importance of acting quick in forming a stable coalition. He insisted on setting a date for the initial consultations on Monday. He added: “We must create… the best government in Ukraine because no other government will cope with the challenges that the country is facing today”. More than 3,700 people have been killed since last year’s overthrowing of President Yanukovych. Because of this, violent protests and civil war began in the eastern regions of Ukraine. In Avdiivka area, north of Donetsk, and in the town of Volnovakha, vote counting was disrupted by attacks.
RIA Novosti news agency reported a statement of Grigory Karasin (Russian Deputy Foreign Minister) in which he said that a real chance to end the conflict in Ukraine is to vote for the parties that support a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He added that “nationalistic and chauvinistic forces” in Ukraine’s parliament are extremely dangerous as they can undermine peace efforts.