Turnout in Ukraine Is Well Above 50% Required to Make the Election Valid

Angered by an economy that’s going nowhere fast, Ukrainians voted in large numbers Sunday to replace the Communist-dominated Parliament that has blocked reforms and opposes nuclear disarmament.

Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine ignored a presidential order by holding referendums on closer ties with Russia.

The brisk turnout for parliamentary elections, Ukraine’s first since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, defied predictions of voter apathy. Preliminary turnout on a crisp, sunny day topped 67% by evening, well above the 50% needed for the election to be valid.

“The people of Ukraine understand very well these are not ordinary elections,” said Viktor Pohorylo, deputy chairman of the Election Commission. “This is a vote for future social peace.”

First results were not expected until at least today.

The election took place amid growing economic despair in Ukraine. After voting in central Kiev, President Leonid Kravchuk said he hoped for a pro-reform Parliament but warned that he will postpone presidential elections if the new Parliament deepened political chaos.

The election could fuel tensions between the pro-Russian east and the nationalist west.

“The mood is mixed. Some don’t know whom to vote for and the rest are more radical. I don’t think Communists will get votes in western Ukraine,” said Yuri Hresko, who was helping get out the vote in Lvov, near the Polish border.