Ukraine rebel regions re-elect leaders in defiance of West
- US and the European Union insist the vote is illegitimate because it is conducted where Ukraine has no control
- Separatists say the vote is a key step towards establishing full-fledged democracy in the regions
Residents of Russian-backed areas of eastern Ukraine have re-elected separatist leaders, results showed on Monday, cementing Moscow’s hold on the disputed regions.
Kiev and its Western allies denounced the weekend elections as a sham but Russia insisted they were a step forward in the regions’ drive for independence.
Analysts say the votes will allow Moscow to claim the region’s leaders as democratically elected representatives in future talks with Kiev, although few expect Ukraine’s moribund peace process to be revived soon.
Gun-toting, camouflage-clad guards were deployed to ensure order during Sunday’s vote in the Donetsk and Lugansk “People’s Republics”, which have been controlled by separatists since breaking away from Ukraine’s pro-Western government in 2014.
Authorities pulled out all the stops to encourage a high turnout, setting up food stalls near polling stations and offering lottery tickets to those who voted.
Denis Pushilin, the 37-year-old acting Donetsk leader and a former negotiator with Kiev, was elected with 61 per cent of the vote with almost all ballots counted, the local electoral commission said.