On Sunday, Ukrainians will go to the polls for a presidential election aimed at finally installing an elected ruler to replace the interim government. But with the nation divided and much of the east facing military invasion, it is unclear how much of the nation will actually be participating in the vote.
It is a foregone conclusion that parts of the east won’t be voting, but exactly how much of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts will be taking part is unclear, with little official preparation made for elections in those areas, and some of the protester groups opposing taking part.
Donetsk itself, one of the biggest cities in the country, is likely not going to be voting, as the election officials announced today they have shut down their office.
Officially, they say it was because of “safety concerns,” lashing the protesters as “terrorists” and saying they made it impossible to set up a vote. Other election officials elsewhere in the Oblast reported no problems however, and seem to be going fine.
Donetsk Oblast is about 10 percent of the nation’s population, and Luhansk another 4 percent. The oblasts have traditionally supported the Party of Regions, which was in power before being ousted by the interim government. Their candidate, Mykhailo Dobkin, is a backer of the secessionist movement, and was arrested in March in connection with the protests.
Elections are opium for the masses. For those naive enough to believe in them.
Free, fair honest elections are great. Rigged elections are just shams and should be ignored.
But, its scary to see 'opposition' saying they don't like elections. I guess they just want me to be their slave when they take power. Doesn't seem to be worth much effort to go from being their slave to being your slave. Because one thing that is clear is that anyone who says something like this has no interest in my freedom.
Illegitimate and Illegal every UN member state should vote against it
This must be in the new US playbook. Same thing recently in Iraq. Lets have an election, but the opposition doesn't get to vote for 'safety concerns'. Then, all hail the winner, and of course they now have the 'mandate' to slaughter anyone who opposes them. The State Dept will be happy to connect them with American certified merchants-of-death to assist with that stage. Then hopefully, when everyone is dead or in prison, they can then hold another election at some undeterminded time in the future, and we might even let these regions vote if we decide it is 'safe' to let them do so.
Elections do not equal democracy
So, the illegitimate government is not going to hold the national elections in the east but after the votes are all tallied, will demand the eastern oblasts to obey their dictates. And when they don't toe the line, the masked, jack-booted Banderasts will visit the "separatist leaders" in the dead of night and adjust their thinking – or just break a few heads. And Nuland and the rest of the Empire will ignore the idiocy of supporting these animals.
They are THEIR animals. The last meeting that Germany pushed for between the "President" and the people from the east, was telling. The "President" looked at his i-Pad, and generally acted bored. No matter what the people from the east said, he was disinterested. And then he said something that encapsulates our time — our imperial govermental era on the west. He said "We will not allow you to make rules in OUR country." Makes me wonder if this is not the view of our own government, as they give press conferences inventing the story of Ukraine that justifies everything their appointed people in Kyev do. And makes me wonder if, the inventing of stories comes easier if the power elites themselves think of the rest of us as having no business having a say in "their country".
seems that way, doesn't it.
Maybe all right minded people shoud start an "American Spring" to restore sanity in the world.
I suspect that an "American Spring" would be just as successful as any of the Arab Springs – and probably with just as much (or more) government suppression of dissenting opinions. Can't have the masses interfering in the machinations of empire.
In fact, the Russians in Ukraine have shot themselves in the foot. By removing the indigenous Russian population of Crimea and the Russain colonists in Donetsk and Lugansk from the election, they have strengthened the indigenous Ukrainian population in the rest of the country. It also undermines the credibility and legitimacy of the Russian rebels in those two provinces. Putin is also in a corner. If he annexes those two provinces, he sets himself on the road to a war in the Baltic which he can't win. He he refuses to annex them, he discredits himself in the eyes of his elderly supporters, who want him to re-establish the Russians as a colonial master race in the whole of the former Soviet Union.
I think Putin shoud act NOW to annex the East of Ukraine. The window of opportunity will close soon. At the moment NATO or the US will not go to war over Ukraine which is NOT a NATO Member. There is no justification or willingness of NATO's European members to participate in a war with RUSSIA which will also ruin their economies just to support the US.
The only one that can and have all the domestic and international law and its given right is the Ukrainian people to decide for their feature. As time vanishes fast the hand picked, self proclaimed Kiev government support also decreasing because only 1/4 of Ukraine is governed by this Neo hand picked governing figuring. The Swedish, nor the Germans or the English or French or USG have any rights to decide for the Ukrainian or any nations in this world, however, these regimes do have political and economic "interests" and are supporter of IMF modernized slavery not the Ukrainian people, nor they are for the Syrian people or Libyan or Iraqi or afghani or Iranian or even their own people.