On Sunday, March 26 parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine. Much excitement had built up to the day – apparently there were 45 parties or “bloks” on the ballot, but we saw maybe about 10-15 advertised in the weeks before the election. What a choice. The main square in Donetsk was filled with colorful tents, flags and brochure-distributing campaigners. In the end, the pro-Russia Party of Regions, supported by central and eastern Ukraine (where Donetsk is located) won by a small margin, followed by two of the more western-leaning parties – the former prime minister’s party was a close second, and the current president’s party (orchestrators of the 2004 “Orange Revolution”) was a distant third. The rest of the votes were taken by smaller parties, including the Socialists and Communists. Since no one won a majority, coalition talks have now begun, and it seems to be anybody’s guess who will form a coalition with whom, even though the parties all seem to have quite differing agendas. This election is quite important, as it will determine who has the majority of seats in parliament. The leading party will also select the prime minister, who will have more power than the president.
There was a lot of concern among Ukrainians about the economic (and political) stability in Ukraine after the elections. So far things seem quite calm, as they did on election day.
Laura
