Ukraine's new president, Petro Poroshenko, has vowed to make his first goal in office to stop the war in the east of the country.
The pro-European businessman won the presidential election with 54% of the vote, according to early results on Sunday, clearing the 50% threshold to win outright without a second round. The former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was trailing far behind, with about 13%.
In an impromptu victory speech after an official exit poll showed his convincing first-round win, Poroshenko praised the record turnout and reiterated the pledge that his first official trip would be to conflict-riven eastern Ukraine. He promised an amnesty to pro-Russian rebels who turned in their weapons, but said those who had killed people in the region were terrorists who deserved no quarter.
"Today we can definitely say all of Ukraine has voted, this is a national vote," Poroshenko said. "The first steps that we will take at the beginning of our presidential term should be focused on stopping the war, to put an end to this chaos and bring peace to a united Ukraine."
According to Poroshenko, his strong support at the polls confirmed three major policy directions for his presidency: the preservation of a "unified Ukraine", including stability in the east; a "European choice" for closer ties with the west; and the return of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. In reality, all of these tasks will be difficult to accomplish.
Poroshenko also promised to hold parliamentary elections before the end of the year, arguing that the lack of a majority coalition has made the body unable to respond to security threats.
"When there is a parliamentarian crisis, the only solution in a democracy is early elections," he said.
Ukrainians flocked to the polling stations on Sunday in what was seen as the most important election since independence. Millions of citizens in the restive east, however, did not vote, either because of separatist sympathies, feelings of intimidation by pro-Russian militias or simply a lack of polling stations.
Many of those voting for Poroshenko said they wanted to ensure he won the poll in the first round, without a runoff.
Read more: New Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko vows to stop war | World news | theguardian.com
The pro-European businessman won the presidential election with 54% of the vote, according to early results on Sunday, clearing the 50% threshold to win outright without a second round. The former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was trailing far behind, with about 13%.
In an impromptu victory speech after an official exit poll showed his convincing first-round win, Poroshenko praised the record turnout and reiterated the pledge that his first official trip would be to conflict-riven eastern Ukraine. He promised an amnesty to pro-Russian rebels who turned in their weapons, but said those who had killed people in the region were terrorists who deserved no quarter.
"Today we can definitely say all of Ukraine has voted, this is a national vote," Poroshenko said. "The first steps that we will take at the beginning of our presidential term should be focused on stopping the war, to put an end to this chaos and bring peace to a united Ukraine."
According to Poroshenko, his strong support at the polls confirmed three major policy directions for his presidency: the preservation of a "unified Ukraine", including stability in the east; a "European choice" for closer ties with the west; and the return of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. In reality, all of these tasks will be difficult to accomplish.
Poroshenko also promised to hold parliamentary elections before the end of the year, arguing that the lack of a majority coalition has made the body unable to respond to security threats.
"When there is a parliamentarian crisis, the only solution in a democracy is early elections," he said.
Ukrainians flocked to the polling stations on Sunday in what was seen as the most important election since independence. Millions of citizens in the restive east, however, did not vote, either because of separatist sympathies, feelings of intimidation by pro-Russian militias or simply a lack of polling stations.
Many of those voting for Poroshenko said they wanted to ensure he won the poll in the first round, without a runoff.
Read more: New Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko vows to stop war | World news | theguardian.com
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