Ukraine leader wins pro-West mandate but wary of Russia

Reuters ^ | 10/27/2014 | Richard Balmforth

[mac_truck]

Pro-Western parties will dominate Ukraine's parliament after an election handed President Petro Poroshenko a mandate to end a separatist conflict and steer the country further out of Russia's orbit into Europe's mainstream.

Poroshenko planned to start coalition talks on Monday after exit polls and partial results showed most of the groups that were holding up democratic and legal reforms demanded by the European Union had been swept out of parliament on Sunday.

He still faces huge problems: Russia is resisting moves by Kiev to one day join the European Union, a ceasefire is barely holding in the east where government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists, and the economy is in dire straits.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin can still influence events, not least as the main backer of the rebels in the east and through Moscow's role as natural gas supplier to Ukraine and the EU.

But with his own bloc and a party led by his ally, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, running neck and neck on more than 21 percent support after more than a quarter of votes on party lists were counted, Poroshenko is assured of dominating parliament.

[goldstategop]

Ukraine has to come to an agreement with Russia.

It has no choice - it can’t fight a losing war and it needs space to recover.

Whether it likes or not that is reality and fortunately the worst neo-Nazis and Russophobes lost the election even in Western Ukraine.

So that gives Poroshenko maneuvering room to strike a deal with Putin.

[wetphoenix]

Losing Crimea and non-partisan Donetsk is actually a gift for mild pro-EU politicians.
The Nazis has largely lost support from their symps being unable to suppress the Southeast, and the commies are simmering in their own juice in Donetsk or joined the Russian ‘red states’ as is the case with Crimea.
It is mostly a win-win scenario, too bad EU still has nothing to Ukraine to offer.

[lodi90]

The Kiev Junta had another election? You don’t say!

[mac_truck]

Ukraine has to come to an agreement with Russia. It has no choice - it can’t fight a losing war and it needs space to recover. Whether it likes or not that is reality and fortunately the worst neo-Nazis and Russophobes lost the election even in Western Ukraine. So that gives Poroshenko maneuvering room to strike a deal with Putin.

Good analysis.