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Pro-Russian separatists block Ukraine presidential ballot

PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp 24.05.2014 13:46
Pro-Russian separatists in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic reiterated on Saturday that they will try and block the Ukrainian presidential ballot set for Sunday.
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A masked pro-Russian separatist carries two ballot boxes from a seized polling station in Donetsk, Ukraine, 23 May 2014, which later were destroyed in order to try to avert the Ukrainian presidential elections in their region. Photo: EPA/PHOTOMIG

Head of the Donetsk electoral commission, Roman Lagin declared that no polling stations will be opened for the vote.

“I am in possession of all of the electoral commission stamps,” Lagin told journalists, Saturday, adding that “all heads of the district electoral commissions have personally contacted the authorities of the Donetsk Republic and handed over ballot papers and [other] documents.”

Earlier on Saturday, the UNA news agency reported that the Ukrainian Interior Ministry had taken all constituency election commissions and polling stations under guard in 12 regions of Ukraine.

Ukrainian interior ministry representative Volodymyr Fryniak informed that in the Donetsk region, nine out of 22 commissions were not functioning while in Lugansk eight out of 12 were not functioning.

The information comes as at least 14 Ukrainian soliders were killed in clashes with pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk on Thursday, with more tensions mounting throughout Friday between government forces and pro-Russians rebels in the region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia to accept Ukraine ballot?

Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said that that he “will respect” the outcome of the Ukrainian presidential ballot on Sunday.

Speaking in Saint Petersburg on Friday, Putin declared that “today we already are working with people in control of Ukraine, and after the elections we will also work with the newly-elected [authorities].”

“We understand and see that people in Ukraine want their country to get out of this lengthy crisis, and we also want the situation to calm down,” Putin said, claiming that “[Russia] will respect the choice of the Ukrainian people.” (jb)

Sources: PAP/UNA/BBC

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