Farcical Ukraine Presidential Election
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Ukraine is a Nazi-infested fascist police state, a fantasy democracy, not the real thing, fundamental freedoms eliminated. Totalitarian rule replaced them.
In February 2014, democratic governance was abolished, orchestrated by the Obama regime, resistance against repressive ruling authorities not tolerated.
On Sunday, round one of the farcical presidential election was held, 39 candidates on the ballot.
Three alone mattered – US-installed fascist billionaire/oligarch mega-crook incumbent Petro Poroshenko, convicted felon Yulia Timoshenko, and comedian/entertainer Vladimir Zelensky.
More on the candidates below. Sunday results were as follows: With more than half the votes counted as of early Monday morning, Zelensky leads with 30% support, Poroshenko with 16.5 (despite his single digit approval rating), and Timoshenko with 13%.
Days ahead of the so-called “election,” Zelensky was expected to poll highest, Timoshenko second with a five-point lead over Poroshenko, other candidates with scant support.
Two days ahead of Sunday’s vote, a dubious poll showed Poroshenko in second place ahead of Timoshenko. If final tallies show him finishing second to Zelensky, they’ll meet in an April 21 runoff, Timoshenko and other candidates eliminated.
As president, he enjoys immunity from prosecution. If defeated in the runoff, he could be held accountable for corruption and other criminality.
Reportedly on Saturday, the day before yesterday’s vote, he ordered Ukrainian security services and police to patrol streets and seize control of polling stations on the pretext of “protect(ing) the elections.”
Most likely it was to avoid elimination in round-one voting. With single-digit support, it appeared likely. As things now stand, he survived at least until April 21.
During the late 2013/early 2014 Obama regime-orchestrated Maidan coup, he was Washington’s man in Kiev, involved in bankrolling US-supported putschists.
Nicknamed the “chocolate king,” his Roshen Confectionery Corporation is the world’s 18th largest producer of these products.
His other business interests include automotive, shipping, and media. Like other oligarchs in Ukraine and elsewhere, he amassed wealth the old-fashioned way by grand theft and other devious schemes.
Billionaire/mega-thief Timoshenko earlier was imprisoned for embezzlement and serious “abuse of public office.”
Charges included illegally diverting $425 million meant for environmental projects into pension funds. A second case involved stealing around $130 million for personal use.
She headed United Energy Systems (UES). Her shady business practices earned her the nickname “gas princess.”
As US orchestrated 2004 Orange Revolution prime minister, she operated extrajudicially, scorning economic reform, along with furthering her presidential ambitions, a platform if gained for greater abuse of power and corruption.
Zelensky has close ties to Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi. As appointed governor in eastern Ukraine, he oversaw the May 2, 2014 Odessa massacre, eliminating scores of coup opponents.
Kolomoyskyi and Poroshenko are bitter rivals. The incumbent accused him of supporting Zelensky “to take revenge against the” regime for nationalizing his Privatbank.
Zelensky portrayed Ukraine’s president in a television series – now the frontrunner to assume the post after the April 21 runoff.
No matter who’s named Ukrainian president later this month, dirty business as usual will triumph like earlier in 2014.
It’s how things work in America, most other Western countries, Israel, and elsewhere. Powerful interests run things, elections farcical when held. Ordinary people have no say – for sure not in Ukraine.
Intermittent war in Donbass continues. No matter who’s anointed Ukrainian president, dark forces in Washington will control things, no breakthrough in Minsk peace talks with Kiev likely.
On Monday, Donetsk Peoples’ Republic operational command head Edward Basurin said “(t)here will be no dialogue with Zelensky,” adding:
“I would like to remind you that he, along with his team Kvartal 95, visited the conflict zone, gave concerts, encouraged the Ukrainian servicemen-criminals to kill civilians. That is why there will be no dialogue with him. There will be also no breakthrough in the Minsk negotiating process.”
Basurin believes there’s a high probability that Poroshenko will order belligerence in Donbass ahead of the April 21 runoff, perhaps declaring martial law like earlier as a way to help him stay in power.
Separately, Timoshenko claimed the vote count her team tallied showed her finishing second with 16% support – ahead of Poroshenko.
She accused security forces of tampering with Sunday’s electoral process. For Life party candidate Yuriy Boyko made a similar accusation.
Ukraine’s Central Election Commission reported no serious irregularities on Sunday. The Interior Ministry said there were over 2,100 reports of violations, 39 criminal cases opened Sunday evening to investigate them.
Nothing in Ukraine is simple, its rule despotic, its electoral process deeply flawed. Moscow questioned its legitimacy, saying up to 10 million Ukrainian expats in Russia were denied the right to vote on Sunday.
They fled cross-border because of war on Donbass, forced conscription of military-aged men, economic hardships, out-of-control corruption, and despotic rule – clearly hostile to Poroshenko, why he disenfranchised them.
Given the disturbing state of things in Ukraine, no matter who serves as president, ordinary people in the country will be ill-served, exploited and abused.
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