Ukraine's Presidential Election.

Back in November 2013 the European Union (EU) made it a condition of membership negotiations that Ukraine freed Yulia Tymoshenko - the leader of the Fatherland Party - from prison. As Tymoshenko was rightfully in prison for her role in a massive embezzlement scheme whilst acting as Ukraine's unelected Prime Minister the purpose of this condition was to give both the EU and Ukraine the opportunity to end negotiations about Ukraine becoming an EU member state.

Perhaps not understanding this or simply being furious that the EU would defy it in this way the US started funding and directing extreme nationalist and fascist groups including the Right Sector and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) to stage violent protests in Ukraine's capital Kiev in order to force Ukraine's elected President Viktor Yanukoyvch from office. Although these protesters only numbered a few hundred thousand in a nation of 46 million the level of violence they were prepared to use alongside the intense diplomatic pressure the US applied meant that Ukraine's government was eventually overthrown in February 2014 - right in the middle of the 2014 Winter Olympics being held in near-by Sochi, Russia.

On Sunday (25/5/14) the people of Ukraine were given their first say in all this with a Presidential election being held. If you've been believing the US' propaganda line that Yanukoyvch was an unpopular dictator being propped up by Russia who was overthrown by popular protest the results of the Presidential election would have come as a massive shock to you.

Dmitry Yarosh who leads the Right Sector who played a lead role in overthrowing the government received just 1% of the vote. Oleg Tyagnibok who leads the neo-Nazi Svoboda Party who appeal to members of both the UIA and Right Sector also only received just 1% of the vote. Yulia Tymoshenko who leads the Fatherland Party and is supposedly loved by all the Ukrainian people received just 12.9% of the vote.

The winner of the election by a staggering margin (42%/55% total) was Petro Poro­shenko who is one of Ukraine's richest men and has significant business holdings across the country particularly in the eastern Donbass region where Yanukoyvch is from. As such Poroshenko has long been the main financial backer of Yanukoyvch and his Party of Regions frequently acting as a go between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Yanukoyvch who - by all (non-US) accounts - despise each other. In fact it is widely believed that it was Poroshenko rather then Putin who forced Yanukoyvch to step down.

So while I think there is an element of the Ukrainian people realising that neo-Nazi Parties like Svoboda and Right Sector will prevent Ukraine receiving the international financial assistance it so desperately needs it appears that the voters of Ukraine have wholeheartedly rejected February's coup and the junta that has been ruling over them ever since.

This creates a significant problem for Ukraine because perhaps realising their lack of popularity that junta declined to hold a Parliamentary election. As result they continue to in effect run Ukraine despite the public vote with Oleksandr Sych of Svoboda continuing a Vice Prime Minister and Oleh Makhnitskyi also of Svoboda continuing to act as Chief Prosecutor. Arseniy Yatsenyuk of the Fatherland Party seems intent to continue to act as Prime Minister despite having an extremely aggressive approach to and almost hatred of all things Russian. Although he takes most of his orders from the US Yatsenyuk is the architect of the 'anti-terror operation' in the east which today saw Ukrainian fighter jets and helicopter gunships bomb the city of Donetsk.

What would normally happen in a country in transition such as Ukraine is that the newly elected President would immediately appoint a government of national unity that reflects the election results to run the country until a general election can be held. However in Ukraine the issue of how much power the President has over Parliament has been a significant source of tension during and after the overthrow of Yanukoyvch. As such I think that Ukraine needs to immediately hold Parliamentary elections because due to experience I don't think there's much hope of either Svoboda, Right Sector or Fatherland respecting the will of the people and stepping aside voluntarily.

(Orginally Posted) 19:20 on 26/5/14 (UK date).