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Pro-European Billionaire Claims Victory in Ukraine Presidential Vote Pro-European Billionaire Claims Victory in Ukraine Presidential Vote
(35 minutes later)
KIEV, Ukraine — With their country caught in a fierce tug-of-war between Russia and the West over a new 21st-century security order, Ukrainians on Sunday elected Petro O. Poroshenko, a pro-European billionaire, as president, turning to a soft-spoken businessman to lead them out of six months of wrenching turmoil including an on-going separatist insurrection in the east. KIEV, Ukraine — With their country caught in a fierce tug-of-war between Russia and the West over a new security order, Ukrainians elected Petro O. Poroshenko as president on Sunday, turning to a pro-European billionaire to lead them out of six months of wrenching turmoil, including a continuing separatist insurrection in the east.
Mr. Poroshenko, a confectionary tycoon known as the “Chocolate King,” and a longtime veteran of Ukrainian politics, declared victory as exit polls showed him with a wide lead over his strongest rival, the former prime minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko. He appeared poised to easily clear the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a potentially divisive runoff that would proling Ukraine’s political uncertainty. The special election was called by Parliament to replace Viktor F. Yanukovych, who fled Kiev on Feb. 21 after a failed but bloody attempt to suppress a civic uprising, and whose toppling as president set off Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.
Despite formidable obstacles in the east, where armed separatists largely prevented balloting from taking place on Sunday, and in Crimea, which Russia now claims as its own, election officials reported robust turnout throughout the rest of the country. While the election allows Ukraine to open a new chapter in its history, and even President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has indicated in recent days that he would accept the result, Mr. Poroshenko now faces the excruciatingly difficult task of trying to calm and reunite a country that has been on the edge of financial collapse, and on the verge of tilting into civil war. Among his chief tasks will be to ease tensions with Russia.
Vitali Klitschko, the ex-champion boxer, and a leader of the months-long street protests that toppled President Viktor F. Yanukovych, declared victory in the Kiev mayor’s race. “Now we have a state of war,” he said as he arrived at a polling station in Kiev to vote on Sunday. “We need to establish peace.”
In Kiev, there were long lines at polling stations and voters generally expressed resolve that the country needed to open a new chapter in its history — with a new leader — although many expressed some disappointment in the candidates. Early exit poll results showed Mr. Poroshenko, a confections tycoon known as the Chocolate King, and a longtime veteran of Ukrainian politics, with a wide lead over his strongest rival, the former prime minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko. He appeared poised to easily clear the simple-majority threshold needed to avoid a potentially divisive runoff.
Mr. Poroshenko, 48, a longtime member of Parliament, briefly served as speaker, and was minister of trade and economic development under Mr. Yanukovych and foreign minister under President Viktor Yushchenko. Mr. Poroshenko declared victory at an evening news conference at an arts center, where he appeared with the former champion boxer Vitali Klitschko, a leader of the street protests that deposed Mr. Yanukovych. Mr. Klitschko was elected on Sunday as mayor of Kiev, the capital. The art complex was decked out for a victory party, including cases of Spanish and Italian wine.
“We are stuck in everything,” said Tatyana Zhukova a retired engineer who said she had just voted for Mr. Poroshenko at the National Linguistic University here. “I don’t see new leaders.” “These were the hardest periods in Ukraine’s history, and these elections determine the future of our country,” Mr. Poroshenko said. “I would like to thank the Ukrainian people who participated and showed record support and visited all polling stations in these hard conditions.”
Others said they were casting their vote for Mr. Poroshenko, and hoped he would be different than previous leaders. “We want to believe,” said Mariya Tsepennikova, who came to vote with her husband, Oleksandr, and their 2-year-old son, Giorgi. Despite formidable obstacles in the east, where armed separatists largely prevented voting from taking place on Sunday, and in Crimea, which Russian now claims, election officials reported robust turnout throughout the rest of the country.
The couple said that regular Ukrainians would also have to do their part. “Much depends on citizens,” Ms. Tsepennikova said. “You always have to sacrifice for a motherland.” Her husband added, “There must be changes.” International observers also predicted that the presidential vote would receive high marks in meeting standards of fairness.
There is no doubt Ukraine has sacrificed. More than 100 people, including protesters and police, died during clashes in Kiev, most after the Yanukovych government attempted a violent suppression of the uprising in mid-February. In the end, the deaths only fueled public anger. But Mr. Poroshenko, 48, faces skepticism even among many of his supporters, who are wary both of his status as a billionaire businessman and because he is a veteran in Ukraine’s notoriously corrupt politics. He has been a longtime member of Parliament, where he briefly served as speaker, and was minister of trade and economic development under Mr. Yanukovych and foreign minister under President Viktor Yushchenko.
Mr. Poroshenko has vowed repeatedly to set Ukraine on a pro-European course, and has pledged to sign the political and trade agreements with the European Union that Mr. Yanukovych abandoned, setting off the uprising last fall.
But Mr. Poroshenko has deep business interests in Russia and has previously served in pro-Russian governments, creating some optimism in Moscow that negotiations are possible. Creating leverage, the Kremlin has already seized a factory and warehouse in Lepetsk, Russia, belonging to Mr. Poroshenko’s company, Roshen Chocolate. Last year, in the runup to tensions over the European Union agreements, Russia also barred imports of his chocolate, citing vague health concerns.
Mr. Poroshenko has repeatedly called for armed separatists to be brought to justice, but he also ran a campaign focused on the bread-and-butter issues of jobs and the economy, as well as a populist anticorruption message that resonated well with a Ukrainian electorate weary after more than two decades of malfeasance and mismanagement.
“We will do the absolutely unique transformation of the country,” Mr. Poroshenko said before casting his ballot, “with zero tolerance to corruption, with a very good investment climate, with an independent court system, with all the necessary things to attract business.”
It will not be easy. Mr. Poroshenko now inherits an interim government that is unpopular in much of the country, and regarded as illegitimate by many in the east. He also faces demands, by many of the activists who led the streets protests in Kiev, to call early parliamentary elections, which could create chaos and distraction as he tries to push for much-needed legislative changes.
Ukraine will also be under continuing pressure from Russia, which is demanding billions of dollars for unpaid natural-gas bills, and has made clear that it could cripple the Ukrainian economy at any moment with trade sanctions. There is also pressure from the International Monetary Fund, which has laid out strict requirements, including austerity measures, in exchange for $27 billion in emergency credit that saved the country from default.
While Mr. Poroshenko steered clear of any formal role in the interim government that has run the country since Feb. 28, his growing inevitability as the next head of state has helped frame settlement talks in recent weeks that address some concerns in the eastern regions with a so-called decentralization plan that will increase the authority of local governments. And he has expressed a willingness to support civic activists pushing for broad government reforms.
In Kiev, there were long lines at polling stations, and voters generally expressed resolve that the country needed to open a new chapter, with a new leader, even if many expressed some disappointment in the choices they were offered.
“We are stuck in everything,” said Tatyana Zhukova, a retired engineer, who said she had just voted for Mr. Poroshenko at the National Linguistic University in Kiev. “I don’t see new leaders.”
The crisis in Ukraine, which began six months ago when Mr. Yanukovych broke a promise to sign political and economic accords with the European Union, upended the post-Soviet security order and set off the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War, including military maneuvering, volleys of economic sanctions and travel restrictions.The crisis in Ukraine, which began six months ago when Mr. Yanukovych broke a promise to sign political and economic accords with the European Union, upended the post-Soviet security order and set off the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War, including military maneuvering, volleys of economic sanctions and travel restrictions.
The interim government, led by Prime Minister Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, has taken steps toward finalizing the agreements that Mr. Yanukovych abandoned, and many voters said they were intent on seeing Ukraine continue on this pro-European path. The interim government, led by Prime Minister Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, has already taken steps toward finalizing the agreements that Mr. Yanukovych abandoned, and many voters said they were intent on seeing Ukraine continue on this pro-European path.
Ilya Danko, 31, an architect, said he had voted for Mr. Poroshenko with the hope of calming the political situation by avoiding a second round. “It’s like choosing the best from the worst,” Mr. Danko said. “We have great tension now in some regions,” he said. “I think it’s very important to cool down these things and to end this as soon as possible.” Ilya Danko, 31, an architect, said he had voted for Mr. Poroshenko with the hope of calming the country by avoiding a second round.
Mr. Danko, who was wearing the hood of his sweatshirt over a baseball cap and participated in the months of street protests that led to Mr. Yanukovych’s ouster, said he had no doubt that Ukraine should follow a European course. “It’s like choosing the best from the worst,” Mr. Danko said. “We have great tension now in some regions. I think it’s very important to cool down these things and to end this as soon as possible.”
“I personally just compare for many years Ukraine and Poland; because we were at the rather same starting point about 15 years ago,” Mr. Danko said. “Now when I go to Warsaw or Krakow, I see a European country, a very economically developed country, and Ukraine, the main problem is this corruption, it has blocked the normal flow of evolution of development of the country.” Mr. Danko, who participated in the months of street protests that led to Mr. Yanukovych’s ouster, said he had no doubt that Ukraine should follow a European course.
While Sunday’s vote had long enjoyed broad support of leaders in Europe and the United States, who view it as a crucial step to installing a pro-Western government, in recent days the balloting has also received the tentative backing of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who had previously threatened to use military force to protect pro-Russian residents of east Ukraine. “I personally just compare for many years Ukraine and Poland; because we were at the rather same starting point about 15 years ago,” Mr. Danko said. “Now when I go to Warsaw or Krakow, I see a European country, a very economically developed country and Ukraine, the main problem is this corruption, it has blocked the normal flow of evolution of development of the country.”
“We will respect any choice made by the Ukrainian people,” Mr. Putin said in St. Petersburg on Saturday at a round-table interview with international news agencies. In recent days, however, Mr. Putin has also said that he still regards Mr. Yanukovych, who is living in southern Russia, as Ukraine’s legitimate president. Sunday’s vote has had the broad support of leaders in Europe and the United States, who view it as a crucial step to installing a pro-Western government.
During the session with news agencies, Mr. Putin proposed another Ukrainian billionaire, Viktor Medvedchuk, who is known as an ardent supporter of Russia, to serve as a mediator between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists. Although the proposal was self-serving – Mr. Putin is said to be godfather to Mr. Medvedchuk’s daughter – it was still a sign that talks rather than further military action are now on the horizon. In St. Petersburg, Mr. Putin, too, expressed support on Saturday. “We will respect any choice made by the Ukrainian people,” he said at a round-table interview with international news agencies.
During the session, Mr. Putin proposed another Ukrainian billionaire, Viktor Medvedchuk, who is known as an ardent supporter of Russia, to serve as a mediator between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists. Although the proposal was self-serving – Mr. Putin is said to be godfather to Mr. Medvedchuk’s daughter – it was still a sign that talks, rather than further military action, are now on the horizon.
Violence, including sporadic mortar shelling and gunfire continued in eastern Ukraine throughout the weekend, and separatists had made clear that they would do everything possible to disrupt the election. On Sunday, about one-fifth of the Donetsk region’s nearly 2,500 polling stations were open as of 9:30 p.m., according to local monitors.Violence, including sporadic mortar shelling and gunfire continued in eastern Ukraine throughout the weekend, and separatists had made clear that they would do everything possible to disrupt the election. On Sunday, about one-fifth of the Donetsk region’s nearly 2,500 polling stations were open as of 9:30 p.m., according to local monitors.
Outside School No. 5 in central Donetsk, people walking dogs and holding newspapers strolled up to a locked door. “Such a shame,” said Tatyana Minaeva, 53, a stewardess, said, holding a small brown dog on a leash. “I live in Ukraine and I want to vote for Ukraine. I feel so helpless. They’ve created some new planet here and taken away our rights.” Outside School No. 5 in central Donetsk, people walking dogs and holding newspapers strolled up to a locked door. “Such a shame,” said Tatyana Minaeva, 53, a flight attendant, holding a small brown dog on a leash. “I live in Ukraine, and I want to vote for Ukraine. I feel so helpless. They’ve created some new planet here and taken away our rights.”
Some pointed out that the sign posted on the door had spelling errors, a fact that they said spoke to the education level of separatists controlling the region. Others noted that the school had opened without any problem for the public referendum two weeks ago on demanding autonomy from Ukraine.Some pointed out that the sign posted on the door had spelling errors, a fact that they said spoke to the education level of separatists controlling the region. Others noted that the school had opened without any problem for the public referendum two weeks ago on demanding autonomy from Ukraine.
“I’m so upset,” said Sergei, 42, a businessman, who was holding a tiny plastic cup of coffee and declined to give his last name. “I’m a citizen of Ukraine. I want to register that and they aren’t letting me.” “I’m so upset,” said Sergei, 42, a businessman, who was holding a tiny plastic cup of coffee, and declined to give his last name. “I’m a citizen of Ukraine. I want to register that, and they aren’t letting me.”
Away from Donetsk, the regional capital, the election seemed to be faring better. In Mariupol, a large city to the south, that was liberated from separatists earlier this month, nearly all polling stations were open, local monitors said. Away from Donetsk, the regional capital, the election seemed to be faring better. In Mariupol, a large city to the south that was wrested from separatists earlier this month, nearly all polling stations were open, local monitors said.
Many people said they simply did not want to vote. In the small town of Dokuchayevsk, whose welcome sign has the word “Russia” scrawled in red spray paint underneath, a small group of people sat at a bus stop discussing the election.
Much of the talk at the bus stop was of Soviet days, when life was stable and money was sufficient.
“We don’t want to vote with those fascists, it’s not possible to live with them,” said Sergei Boltenko, 52, a machinist at gravel factory, who was drinking a beer at 1 p.m. “They are forcing their Ukrainian will on us.”
Townspeople supported the separatists, they said, and brought them food. So when they came to shut down the town’s main polling station this morning, few objected.
“If they don’t understand us, why should we understand them?” said his wife, Lydia Guseva, 54, referring to people in western Ukraine. She said her eyes had been opened since she started getting Russian television a few months ago.