UKRAINE: Leading candidate Petro Poroshenko votes in Ukrainian presidential election
Record ID:
695340
UKRAINE: Leading candidate Petro Poroshenko votes in Ukrainian presidential election
- Title: UKRAINE: Leading candidate Petro Poroshenko votes in Ukrainian presidential election
- Date: 25th May 2014
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (MAY 25, 2014) (REUTERS) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PETRO POROSHENKO ENTERING POLLING STATION SURROUNDED BY MEDIA BALLOT BOXES AND MEDIA SURROUNDING POROSHENKO POROSHENKO SHAKING HANDS AND MAKING THE THUMBS UP SIGN TO FRIEND BEFORE ENTERING BOOTH MEDIA FILMING POROSHENKO WOMAN EXITING VOTING BOOTH AND POROSHENKO ENTERING POROSHENKO GETTING OUT OF VOTING BOOTH AND WALKING TO BALLOT BOXES POROSHENKO LOOKING / BALLOT IN HIS HAND POROSHENKO PUTTING BALLOT IN THE BOX SHOUTING (Ukrainian) "Glory to Ukraine" (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PETRO POROSHENKO, SAYING: "I think that the most important thing is that Ukrainian people today chose the leader of the country. I want to assure you that president of Ukraine elected not by the western leaders, not by the eastern leaders, by the people of Ukraine and the fact that we have such a high level of attendance of the election is very good evidence that Ukrainian people already make their own choice." (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PETRO POROSHENKO, SAYING: "Kharkiv is voting, Zaporizhe is voting, Dnipropetrovsk is voting, and only terrorists stop realising the voting right of the people of Ukraine living there, and many people are visiting the closing polling station because it's just people with the machine guns not allowing them to do that. We remove these machine-gunnists, these terrorists from all streets, all the cities and villages of Ukraine." CAMERA OPERATOR FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PETRO POROSHENKO, SAYING: "I think that Ukraine can win in the first round because the sooner we stop the war, sooner we stop the corruption, sooner we start European integration and sooner we will establish democracy in the country." MORE OF CREWS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PETRO POROSHENKO, SAYING: "Crimea was, is and will be Ukrainian. There is not a single claim that can be made in favour of regonising the Crimean referendum as legitimate. I am sure a ministry of Crimean affairs will be created to deal with three main issues: the first one is coordinating the steps to get Crimea back using any means available, judicial, political, security, international, economic." CAMERA CREWS POROSHENKO LEAVING MORE OF MEDIA POROSHENKO OUTSIDE, GETTING INTO CAR CAR DRIVING OFF
- Embargoed: 9th June 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: General,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA3O9Z36RT8OIHF3L7D1MR1GLP1
- Story Text: Ukrainian presidential candidate and confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko said Ukrainians had voted in high numbers in Sunday's (May 25) elections, because they want to live in a democratic country, defeat separatists in the east and join the European Union.
Addressing media after casting his vote in a Kiev polling station packed with journalists, Poroshenko said the election would bring independence to the country.
"I think that the most important thing is that Ukrainian people today chose the leader of the country. I want to assure you that president of Ukraine elected not by the western leaders, not by the eastern leaders , by the people of Ukraine and the fact that we have such a high level of attendance of the election is very good evidence that Ukrainian people already make their own choice," Poroshenko said.
He committed himself to clearing eastern Ukraine of the "machine guns", referring to separatists who declared independence from Kiev and vowed to disrupt the elections.
"Kharkiv is voting, Zaporizhe is voting, Dnipropetrovsk is voting, and only terrorists stop realising the voting right of the people of Ukraine living there, and many people are visiting the closing polling station because it's just people with the machine guns not allowing them to do that. We remove these machine-gunnists, these terrorists from all streets, all the cities and villages of Ukraine," he said.
Poroshenko pledged to increase the military. The new president's first task will be to resolve the conflict with pro-Russian separatists who have declared republics in Luhansk and Donetsk regions while quelling any potential uprisings in other parts of the country .
Poroshenko said he hoped there would be a clear result in this round of voting so that the next president can get on with the business of ruling and joining the EU.
Polls have found Poroshenko, who is known as the "chocolate king" because of his confectionery empire, the overwhelming favourite to win Sunday's election. The biggest question is whether he can take over 50 percent to win outright. If not, a run-off vote will be held on June 15.
He was a strong backer of the protests against Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich last winter and has sought a quick victory by warning that new unrest might prevent a second round.
"I think that Ukraine can win in the first round because the sooner we stop the war, sooner we stop the corruption, sooner we start European integration and sooner we will establish democracy in the country."
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged on Saturday (May 24) to "respect" the people's choice and work with Ukraine's new administration - a conciliatory move during an economic forum at which he had acknowledged that U.S. and EU sanctions over Ukraine were hurting the Russian economy.
But he defended his annexation of Crimea in March as a response to the democratic will of the majority ethnic Russian population there. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of a propaganda war to sow fear among Russian-speakers in eastern and southern Ukraine of "fascist" Ukrainian nationalists and of supporting rebel forces who have seized many towns in the east.
Poroshenko said he would fight to get Crimea back by any means necessary.
"Crimea was, is and will be Ukrainian. There is not a single claim that can be made in favour of regonising the Crimean referendum as legitimate. I am sure a ministry of Crimean affairs will be created to deal with three main issues: the first one is coordinating the steps to get Crimea back using any means available, judicial, political, security, international, economic," Poroshenko said.
Poroshenko was the only Ukrainian oligarch to move swiftly to support the popular uprising against deposed president Viktor Yanukovich which began in central Kiev in late November, devoting his '5th Channel' TV station to coverage of the protests.
A seasoned politician who served as foreign minister and economy minister in previous administrations, he owns a chain of confectionery shops that have put the billionaire on Ukraine's top 10 rich list.
Poroshenko, whose chocolate manufacturer Roshen is one of the world's top 20 confectionery firms, backs Ukraine's integration with the West and his business has been targeted by Russia. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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