Petro Poroshenko, the billionaire 'Chocolate King' of Ukraine, won an easy victory in Ukraine's presidential elections this past Sunday. He garnered approximately 54% of the vote, more than enough to avoid the second-round runoff vote that would occur should he have not attained more than half the overall vote. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko took second place, garnering around 13% of the vote.
Russian Premiere Vladimir Putin has stated that he will respect the outcome of the vote, though he has continually espoused the opinion that Victor Yanukovych is still the rightful and acting president of Ukraine. In an act of conciliation, Poroshenko has stated that Ukraine will not seek membership in NATO, something that Russia has seen as a threat to their border security.
Poroshenko, who has described himself as pro-European, has a lot to deal with on his plate: he has said that he will seek to renew relations with Russia while moving Ukraine towards Europe and signing the economic aspect of the European free trade agreement. Doing so would put Ukraine on track to join the European Union, provided that it enacts the necessary economic, political, and judicial reforms that are prescribed for those wishing to join the EU.
That may be very difficult, however: Ukraine has suffered economically from the beginning of former Victor Yanukovych's ouster, necessitating a triage bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Corruption in government and law were the primary issues that instigated the revolution against Yanukovych, and to the population of Ukraine, these problems still remain. Along with that is the continued resistance that has plagued the breakaway provinces in the east and south of the country, for which Poroshenko has promised continued anti-terrorist operations against those who disrupt lawfulness in those regions.
The vote on Sunday left many in the provinces where the pro-Russian movements reside out in the cold. Several million people were unable to vote due to no polling places opening for them, either due to violence or because pro-Russian separatists threatened that the polling places close. The separatists, in an effort to disrupt the vote, kidnapped several people working the polling places, presumably.
The Central Voting Authority estimated that 60% of Ukrainian citizens voted in the election. Approximately 14% of eligible voters in Ukraine live in eastern regions that saw pro-Russian separatists actively work to stop citizens from voting.
In many cases for regions in the east, ballots had to be delivered secretly or without foreword. Some didn't receive enough ballots, and some polling stations received none at all.
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