Ukraine to hold parliamentary polls in controlled areas of self-proclaimed republics
The snap parliamentary election on October 26 is to be held in those areas in the country’s east that are controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, the Verkhovna Rada speaker said on Tuesday, according to ITAR-TASS.
“In fact, election will take place only in those areas and cities where the situation is controlled by Ukraine’s troops and authorities,” Oleksandr Turchynov told reporters.
Turchynov said the election should not be held “under pressure,” stressing that observers and members of election commissions need to monitor the process. He said that this is impossible on the territories of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics. “This will be a farce and not the election, and the election process in this case will be discredited,” Turchynov said.
The head of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC), Mykhaylo Okhendovsky, said earlier on Tuesday that election can be held in 11 districts in the Donetsk region and 4 districts in the Luhansk region.