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Pro-Maidan forces to play first fiddle in new Ukraine parliament — political expert

An alarming signal for Kiev should be the success of Samopomoshch led by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy, director of the National Institute of Modern Ideology Development Igor Shatrov says

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Forces that support Kiev’s Maidan protest slogans targeted blatantly against Russia will play the first fiddle in the new Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, deputy director of the National Institute of Modern Ideology Development Igor Shatrov said.

“Most apparently the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, People’s Front and Batkivshchyna will form a ruling coalition,” he said in talks with the Political Analysis Center. “This will possibly also include Svoboda and the Radical Party. Or radicals will join the coalition as long as this is needed,” he added.

“To my mind, an alarming signal for Kiev should be the success of Samopomoshch (Self-Help) led by (western Ukrainian) Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy,” Shatrov said. “The results (at parliamentary elections) for this political force show that Western regions had shaped their own view on the country’s future. Meanwhile, this view differs from what Poroshenko declared, as a voter supported his politician there, but not the president. Meanwhile, at this stage, Samopomoshch can also join a ruling coalition.”

“Meanwhile, the new Rada will have almost no deputies representing the interests of the country’s south-east, and that will not bring stability to Ukraine,” the Russian political expert noted. “Several dozens of seats which deputies from the Party of Regions will most likely gain, uniting in the Opposition Bloc, will not change the alignment drastically.”

“Meanwhile, it should not be forgotten that anti-Russian vector and ‘European dream’ are probably few things in common that unite a majority of those elected in the Rada,” Shatrov said. “Unity in other issues is not expected in the Ukrainian parliament. It should be taken into account that many political forces used this election as a rehearsal and training for more serious battles. They are just waiting for new mistakes made by Poroshenko and his team to make a claim for everything, including the loss of Crimea and Donbass and to take over reins of power. I doubt that what such figures as Lyashko and Tymoshenko sought will suit them. If we recall that an tycoon who delegated him to the Rada is behind each more or less noticeable politician in Ukraine ,serious battles are in store for them," Shatrov concluded.

Election results after 23% of ballots counted

Data of the Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC) as of 8:00am Moscow Time, with 22.63% of the ballots counted in the country’s early parliamentary elections held Sunday.

1. People’s Front led by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk: 21.71%;

2. The Petro Poroshenko Bloc led by the president: 21.62%;

3. Samopomoshch (Self-Help) led by west Ukrainian city of Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy: 10.49%;

4. Yury Boiko’s Opposition Bloc: 9.57%;

5. Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party: 7.69%;

6. Batkivshchyna led by former premier Yulia Tymoshenko: 5.90%;

More than 34.6 million people in Ukraine have the right to vote. Some 30,000 polling stations were open for voters in the country, and another 112 were open for Ukrainian nationals in 72 other countries.

A total of 6,436 candidates were contending for seats in the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation. In line with the law, 50% of lawmakers are elected on party lists, and 50% in single-member constituencies.