Ukraine voting for new parliament
Ukraine is voting for a new parliament.
The election Sunday is the first parliamentary poll since street protests in the capital, Kyiv, forced Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich to flee in February, ushering in a pro-Europe leadership under President Petro Poroshenko.
Analysts say Poroshenko’s party is expected to get the largest share of Sunday’s votes, but it is unclear whether his party will be able to form a government without forming a coalition.
However, voters will not be able to cast ballots in Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia, and in portions of eastern Ukraine where separatists are in control.
Polls show a majority of Ukrainians support economic and democratic reforms and, especially, a crackdown on corruption, leading eventually to European Union membership.
A parliament that supports President Poroshenko is likely to strain ties even further with Moscow.
Kyiv blames Moscow for backing the pro-Russian rebels in the East in a conflict that has killed more than 3,700 people and exacerbated Ukraine’s economic problems.
Source: VOANews.com
(Photo of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, by Jurij Skoblenko via flickr.com)
