Election results in eastern Ukraine reflect support for reconciliation with Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - The results of the election to choose the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics, as well as electing members of the People's Councils a day earlier, clearly showed that people in the Donbass region, Southeast Ukraine, support Russia's reconciliation policy.
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| Illustration photo. Photo: Getty |
This comment was made by Mr. Alexei Chesnakov, Director of the Russian Center for Today's Politics on November 12.
Commenting on the election results, Mr. Chesnakov drew some important conclusions.
"First, the unprecedented high turnout and election campaign demonstrated that the people supported the policy of the authorities of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass, which was adopted in 2014. This was clearly a victory for pro-Russian voters and pro-Russian political forces. Second, the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass demonstrated that their political institutions were mature enough to facilitate legitimate elections. Third, the current authorities have achieved clear success, which is a result of the people's trust in their leaders," he said.
The Russian political expert added: "Despite the difficulties caused by the current sanctions, both (acting leader of the Donestk republic) Denis Pushilin and (acting leader of the Lugansk republic) Leonid Pasechnik have proven their capabilities in just a short period of time.
The elections have given a big boost to efforts to solve many economic problems, including the need to increase public sector wages, reduce fuel prices, fight corruption and remove barriers to business activities. This shows that people support social and economic policies and strongly oppose Kiev's punitive policy towards Donbass.
The Russian expert stressed: "Fourth, the election campaign is open and transparent. The elections need to be recognized as democratic and comply with international standards." According to Mr. Chesnakov, the election "does not violate the Minsk peace agreement".
“Finally, the fifth point,” the expert said. “The November 11 elections raise hopes that the process of implementing the Minsk peace agreement, aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, will continue because the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass are still abiding by this agreement.”
Mr Chesnakov affirmed that Moscow "sees the results of this election as an important signal for the Ukrainian authorities". He concluded: "Kiev needs to stop wasting precious time and instead start a direct dialogue with Donbass".