Ukrainian prospective new president Petro Poroshenko speaks during press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, 26 May 2014. Pro-Western businessman Petro Poroshenko, who wants a dialogue with Russia, has won Ukraine's presidential election with a simple majority in the first round, according to exit polls released after voting ended on 25 May: photo - EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
The foreign ministry, “with satisfaction notes the course and organisation of the presidential election in Ukraine on 25 May. We agree with the preliminary assessment by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe that the election was held in line with democratic standards,” a statement by ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski says.
Conflict in eastern regions of Ukraine, which continued on Monday when pro-Russian rebels seized the airport in Donetsk, meant that many polling stations did not open there and in the Crimea Peninsula, which voted in a referendum earlier this year to leave Ukraine.
“We note with regret the fact that not all Ukrainian citizens were able to go to the polling stations. However, in our view the problems with enabling the election in the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk and in the Crimean Peninsula by no means take away the election’s democratic legitimacy,” the statement by Poland's foreign ministry says.
The victory for chocolate billionaire Petro Poroshenko - who received over 50 percent of the votes cast on Sunday, easily beating his nearest challenger, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko into second place on 13 percent – is “not only an expression of the citizens’ trust,” the ministry says, “but also a big obligation. The election has explicitly shown that the Ukrainian citizens want to have their country united, and are in favour of pursuing pro-European reforms and combating corruption.”
“Poland declares its comprehensive help and support in implementing pro-European reforms in Ukraine,” the statement concludes.
Fighting continues
President-elect Petro Poroshenko pledged to break the rebellion in the eastern regions on Monday.
"The anti-terrorist operation should not last two or three months. It should last for a matter of hours," he told a press conference in Kiev.
Smoke rises through a cemetery over the Donetsk International Airport during fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, in Donetsk, Ukraine, 26 May 2014, a day after the country went to the poles to vote in the presidential election.: photo - EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY
Gunfire and explosions could be heard on Monday as a warplane and Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter gunships flew over Donetsk's Sergei Prokofiev International Airport, hours after truckloads of armed rebel fighters arrived and seized a terminal, Reuters reports.
Separatist rebels say at least 30 of their men have been killed in the clashes and it was not clear who was in control of the airport on Tuesday morning.
It is thought that rebels aim to make it impossible for the new president to visit the city by taking control of the airport and roads in the region.
Russia's foreign ministry urged Kiev to halt what it called "military operations against its own people" and said it wanted the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to investigate clashes with pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk. (pg)