U.S. calls upon Donbas residents to boycott sham elections

8 November 2018

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine called upon the residents of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to boycott the local elections scheduled for Nov. 11. “Just as Ukraine is taking positive steps towards strengthening peace, Russia is fanning the conflict in organizing sham ‘elections’,” the embassy wrote on its Facebook page. “The residents of eastern Ukraine should boycott these elections, which don’t conform neither to the Minsk Accords, nor Ukrainian legislation.”

 

Zenon Zawada: Elections for the republic heads (their official title) and members of parliament will be held in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk on Sunday. The results have already been largely arranged, with Denis Pushlin to emerge as the head in Donetsk and Leonid Pasechnik to be elected in Luhansk. Both are currently serving as acting heads. Several local parties will compete as well.

 

Even if most Donbas residents don’t participate, the needed results will be arranged as the access of international authorities and media will be highly restricted. Russia has endorsed the elections, drawing criticism from Western authorities that they violate the Minsk Accords. The Russians insist the elections don’t violate the peace accords.