- Volodymyr Zelensky, who plays a fictional president in a popular TV show, secured 30.4 percent of the vote on Sunday, early results showed.
- Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire magnate and Ukraine’s current leader, received 17.8 percent.
- In a country on the frontline of the West’s standoff with Russia, the electorate has rallied behind an anti-establishment figure promising to combat deep-seated corruption. (CNBC)
OSCE/ODIHR yesterday released a preliminary report on Sunday’s Presidential Election. Here is an extract.
Mission at a glance
- Head of Mission: Ambassador Peter Tejler
- 17 core team experts from 13 participating States, based in Kyiv
- 100 long-term and 750 short-term observers requested from OSCE participating States.
Election day was peaceful, with a voter turnout of 63.5 per cent announced by the CEC. IEOM observers assessed opening and voting positively in the overwhelming majority of polling stations observed. Voting was well-organized, smooth, transparent and efficient, and procedures were generally adhered to. However, IEOM observers noted problems with the secrecy of the vote and saw persons other than PEC members keeping track of voters who had voted. Some voters were not allowed to vote because they were not on the voter list. IEOM observers noted a few procedural errors and very few serious violations during the vote count. They did, on the other hand, report that the sequence of procedures and basic reconciliation procedures were often not followed. The early stages of tabulation were assessed negatively in about one sixth of DECs, mainly due to inadequate conditions at DECs that caused overcrowding and limited transparency, as well as restrictions on observers’ access. Throughout election day, candidate and party observers were seen in almost all polling stations, and citizen observers in around one half.
The full report is here.
On the birthday of a blogger, join with me a toast to raise
To the mighty C J Bellew who commands our highest praise.
His writing is instructive, unpretentious, droll and chaste,
And, when ideas have withered, he can always cut and paste.
Inviting him to dinner guarantees much fun and frolic;
But beware, his drinking habits border on the alcoholic.
Make no mistake, he is a most alluring story teller,
Though fuelling his discourse just may deplete your cellar.
Look! Brother Bru is standing primed to join the birthday treat,
(Ever grateful that his sibling never claimed the family seat)
For the younger son’s lush lifestyle is riotously hard,
And Barmeath, as yet, is unprepared for one so avant-garde:
You see the one he calls ‘companion’ is less than half his age,
Which could cause a great sensation on the Irish social stage.
Though de rigueur in London, in Louth would be considered queer,
Setting countless tongues a-wagging from Togher to Dunleer.
Present Irish castle owners cannot shun participation,
Yet, Our Christopher has not been known to sink beneath his station;
He would never roll his sleeves up and readily muck in,
Rather spend his days reposing, soaked in Gordons London gin!