Pro-Western parties and nationalists win Ukraine vote
28 Oct 2014 5:48 AM IST
The results pointed to overwhelming consensus on Ukraine’s bid to steer from Russia’s orbit on a pro-Western path eventually targeting European Union membership.The snap election came eight months after a street revolt overthrew Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych, sparking conflict with Russia and a crisis in relations between the Kremlin and Ukraine’s Western allies.
The polls were called to clear out the last vestiges of Yanukovych’s regime — and to some extent this was achieved.For the first time since the Soviet collapse the Communist Party, which used to support Yanukovych, failed to clear the minimum level of votes for entering parliament.However, in a vivid sign of ongoing divisions, the Opposition Bloc, made up of Yanukovych associates, got into the legislature with 7.6 per cent of the vote.
The Petro Poroshenko Bloc led with 23 per cent of the vote, meaning the president will have to seek a coalition partner. That will most likely be the People’s Front group of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, which was runner up with 21 per cent. Four other parties entered parliament under the proportional representation voting, all of them either nationalist or supporting Western-style reforms, the two exit polls from surveys showed.
The polls were called to clear out the last vestiges of Yanukovych’s regime — and to some extent this was achieved.For the first time since the Soviet collapse the Communist Party, which used to support Yanukovych, failed to clear the minimum level of votes for entering parliament.However, in a vivid sign of ongoing divisions, the Opposition Bloc, made up of Yanukovych associates, got into the legislature with 7.6 per cent of the vote.
The Petro Poroshenko Bloc led with 23 per cent of the vote, meaning the president will have to seek a coalition partner. That will most likely be the People’s Front group of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, which was runner up with 21 per cent. Four other parties entered parliament under the proportional representation voting, all of them either nationalist or supporting Western-style reforms, the two exit polls from surveys showed.
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