Ukranian nationalist party Svoboda, our partners in the Alliance of European Nationalist Movements, registered a very significant result in the local elections held last Sunday (31st October).Their best results were in Lviv, Ivano-Frankiuvsk and Ternopil, where they gained over 30% of the votes cast, making them the strongest party in these areas.
Overall Svoboda came in 5th place in these elections. The governing Regions Party of President Victor Yanukovych came in first place, followed by Batkivschyna, which is the party of Yulia Tymochenko, of Orange Revolution fame. The Front for Change party of Arsenyi Yacenyuk came in fourth place, followed by the Communist Party.
The rise in support shown for the nationalists on Sunday means that groups of Svoboda councillors will be entering a significant number of local and regional assemblys for the first time.
This was in spite of alleged vote rigging in a number of areas, for instance in Kiev, the country's capital.
Earlier today, in a press release from Svoboda's deputy leader Andriy Mokhnyk, the party demanded that all votes in the city be recounted and that the heads of the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky city and district election commissions and the Bila Tserkva city election commission be arrested.
Svoboda are also calling for Kiev's Regional Governor, Anatoliy Prysiazhniuk, be sacked for failing to ensure the constitutional right of citizens to freedom of expression and a fair counting of the votes.
"Svoboda demands that votes be recounted at all polling stations in Kyiv region, and it will insist that criminal proceedings be launched against all those involved in vote rigging," the statement continues.
It is a credit to Svoboda that even in the face of such underhandedness, the party still managed to achieve a great result.
Hat Tip Chris Beverley.
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