UKRAINE: OSCE says despite the atmosphere of fear in the east turnout for the presidential elections in the rest of the country is high

Record ID: 695380

  • Title: UKRAINE: OSCE says despite the atmosphere of fear in the east turnout for the presidential elections in the rest of the country is high
  • Date: 25th May 2014
  • Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (MAY 25, 2014) (REUTERS) INTERIOR POLLING STATION/JOURNALISTS OSCE MONITOR EXAMINING BALLOT BOX BALLOTS IN BALLOT BOX OSCE MONITOR WITH OSCE SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, JOAO SOARES (ON RIGHT) OSCE MONITOR (ON RIGHT) TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCE SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, JOAO SOARES, SAYING: "My personal answer is that from what I have seen - and probably this is dangerous to say - but I believe that the turnout of the elections in Ukraine including the one or two areas, one or two oblasts (regions), where there will problems, probably is going to be bigger than the European elections that are occurring today in 25 countries." BALLOTS IN BALLOT BOX (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCE SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, JOAO SOARES, SAYING: "I felt that many people are afraid. We talked with voters, NGO organisation, talked with people form the electoral commission, we talked with the main advisors of the governor of Donetsk, we talked with people in the streets because we walked in the streets and I can feel that there are many people that are afraid." PEOPLE REGISTERING TO VOTE PEOPLE REGISTERING/ WOMAN AND CHILD WALKING AWAY FROM REGISTRATION WOMAN AND CHILD COMING OUT OF VOTING BOOTH/ WOMAN CASTING BALLOT WOMAN CASTING BALLOT/ BALLOTS IN BALLOT BOX
  • Embargoed: 9th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5S3611K4PP9TMJDRZB0LZQHHR
  • Story Text: Election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) fanned out across Kiev and Ukraine on Sunday (May 25) to observe the presidential elections.
    OSCE Special Coordinator Joao Soares said he had observed people who were afraid to vote in some eastern cities where separatists have vowed to disrupt the elections.
    However he said turnout - though too early to say definitively - could end up being higher than that of the European elections.
    "I believe that the turnout of the elections in Ukraine including the one or two areas, one or two oblasts (regions), where there will problems, probably is going to be bigger than the European elections that are occurring today in 25 countries," he said.
    Ukrainians are set to give a resounding endorsement to the overthrow of their last elected leader by voting for presidential candidates promising close ties with the West in defiance of Russia's Vladimir Putin.
    But the absence of more than 15 percent of the electorate, in Russian-annexed Crimea and two eastern regions where fighting with pro-Moscow rebels continued on Saturday (May 24), may mar any result - and leave the Kremlin questioning the victor's legitimacy, despite Putin's new pledge to respect the people's will.
    "I felt that many people are afraid," Soares said. "We talked with voters, NGO organisation, talked with people form the electoral commission, we talked with the main advisors of the governor of Donetsk, we talked with people in the streets .........and I can feel that there are many people that are afraid."
    The OSCE has 18 experts from 12 participating states based in Kiev with 100 long-term observers deployed throughout the regions. Nine hundred observers have been brought in for the elections.
    Election monitors have largely pulled out of the Donetsk region, citing a campaign of "terror" by pro-Russian separatists against Ukrainian electoral officials.
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