DONETSK, November 3. /TASS/. The elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have been absolutely legitimate and should be recognized by Russia, Russian lawmakers who have monitored the eastern Ukrainian republic’s elections said on Monday.
“The choice has been definitely made. I have worked as an observer at many elections, but neither in Russia nor in Europe people have voted so actively as here,” A Just Russia MP Oleg Pakholkov said. According to him, Russia should recognize the election results as soon as possible. “Delays in the recognition of Donbas will result in no good for both Russia and DPR,” said the lawmaker, adding that his faction would discuss the situation in Donbas at the party’s next plenary meeting.
His colleague Alexey Zhuravlev, member of the Rodina (Motherland) party who is also member of the United Russia faction in the State Duma lower house of Russia’s parliament, said the situation in which the United States and Eastern Europe said they did not recognize the polls even ahead of the elections, is absurd. “No observers from any country were barred from monitoring the voting process. In our view, the elections have been absolutely legitimate in full compliance with international standards. These elections should be recognized,” Zhuravlev said.
Member of the Communist Party (CPRF) faction in the Duma Alexander Yushchenko says the recent voting has legalized the DPR authority. “After these elections the republic’s residents have legally won the right to freedom. Before that they defended it by arms,” he said. “DPR has all chances to build a social state, free from the power of oligarchs.”
Head of the CIS affairs committee of the Duma Leonid Slutsky (LDPR faction) shared the colleagues’ view. “We have visited different polling stations. Our impressions surpassed all our expectations. People were voting enthusiastically and were certain that they open a new page in their history, linked with peaceful life and, strange as it may appear, with prosperity” Slutsky said. He added that the elections in the self-proclaimed republic were more open than the recent elections to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament). “The right to a nation’s self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter and we see as the Donbas residents are exercising it. As for the elections, we have not recorded any significant violation, the voting was held vey successfully and very effectively,” the head of the Duma CIS affairs committee said.