‘Referendum’ turnout: 10% of voters

Expert: majority in Donetsk Oblast stand for united Ukraine

On May 11th, a carnival of ‘referendums’ took place in Donbas. Citizens were polled on whether they supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity, would like to join Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, or even to associate with Great Britain. The ‘plebiscite’ held by representatives of the so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk garnered the most publicity. There was only one question on the ballot: “Do you support the Act of State Self-Rule of the People’s Republic of Donetsk?”

The separatists’ ‘people’s referendum’ took place in school buildings, local houses of culture, and tents right in the streets. There were queues at some of the ‘polling stations’, mostly of elderly people. The main reason for the crowding was in fact the lack of places to vote. Voter lists were absent at some of the ‘stations’. Sometimes people were registered on the spot upon showing their passports, and sometimes simply upon oral requests. Some Donetsk citizens voted more than once.

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Ukrainians reject ballots “soaked in blood,” says Ukraine’s MFA

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the illegal referendum on the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, May 11, 2014

The illegitimate “referendum” on the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts held on May 11 this year, which has been organized and funded by the Kremlin, is legally null and void and will have no legal implications for the territorial integrity and structure of Ukraine.
The organizers of this criminal farce have consciously violated the Constitution and laws of Ukraine and have ignored calls by the Ukrainian government and the international community.