Ukraine Chooses Democracy

The West hails the fair organization and the results of Ukraines legislative elections.

România Internațional, 29.10.2014, 13:53

Highly predictable, given recent polls that indicated the Ukrainian voters’ clear pro-European choice, the result of Ukraine’s legislative elections on Sunday was hailed by all Western countries. Those nostalgic about the Soviet days and the supporters of the former pro-Russian president Vikto Yanukovych are now a minority in Ukraine’s Parliament. Moreover, this is the first time after 1991 when the communists did not manage to go beyond the 5% electoral threshold to make it to Parliament.

The United States, alongside the European Union and its member states have pointed out the fair manner in which the elections were staged and their outcome. Romanian high officials also hailed the choice for Europe of their biggest neighbor, in terms of territory and demography. President Traian Basescu has said that Romania will continue to be a loyal partner of Ukraine on this country’s EU integration path, which, according to the head of state, is a very difficult one, yet the only right choice.

The elections’ result is a clear sign that the Ukrainian people continue to stay united in their wish for peace, democracy and national unity, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The Ministry also said that, in spite of the difficult security background the elections were held against, with the so-called authorities in the separatist regions and Crimea trying to obstruct the voting, Kiev has managed to ensure a transparent and fair electoral process. The Romanian Foreign Ministry is confident that the elections’ result will create the premises for the coagulation of a solid pro-European government coalition, able to act firmly and consistently.

Finally oriented towards the West, Ukraine still has to manage its problems in the East. According to analysts, the new Parliament majority favors a tougher offensive against pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, where over 3,700 people were killed as of April. Moscow has announced it will recognize the elections to be organized by the separatists in Eastern Ukraine on November 2nd , for the leadership of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetk and Lugansk.

Ukraine’s head of state, Petro Poroshenko, has warned that these pseudo-elections endanger the whole peace process and blatantly violate the accords signed in Minsk, where Kiev and the secessionists agreed on a fragile truce that has been frequently broken.