Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Ukraine Elections in Donbas – Proposed (TBD)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 44 million
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a plan to withdraw Ukrainian forces from the east, where Russian-backed separatists currently control territory, and hold elections. It is a very controversial plan and was met with protests.
Actor and comedian Zelensky beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko in the March presidential election. Zelensky dissolved the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and called for snap elections (parliamentary elections were originally supposed to take place in October this year). In addition to entrenched corruption and economic difficulties, Ukraine remains at war with Russian-backed separatists in the east. Policy debate during Ukraine’s presidential and legislative elections earlier this year centered on Russia, which has been ramping up aggression.
Zelensky’s Servant of the People party previously did not have any seats in the Rada, but swept the elections to win an unprecedented parliamentary majority. More than half of the MPs are new.
Ann M. Simonds, Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine Plan to End Conflict With Russia Meets Resistance: President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to withdraw Ukrainian forces and holding elections in territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists.”
Roman Tsymbaliuk, UNIAN (Ukraine): “Roman Tsymbaliuk: What is ‘Putinism’, and is it possible to strike deals with its adepts? Ukraine is a peaceful country. We don’t have a ‘party of war.’ We do have ‘defend and not give up’ party though. But this is not about war.”
Gwendolyn Sasse, The Conversation: “With renewed negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region on the horizon, the views of those people most affected by the war – the residents of eastern Ukraine – should be taken into account. Russia insists that the people living in areas of the Donbas currently controlled by separatists, who it supports, do not what to reintegrate with Ukraine. But two surveys I carried out in the Donbas in 2016 and 2019, revealed that a majority of those we surveyed in areas not controlled by the government would prefer to be part of the Ukranian state.”
Iryna Matviyishyn, Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert: “Seven takeaways from Zelenskyy’s marathon press conference (and one surprise): Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set a world record yesterday [October 10]. He held the world’s longest press conference for any state leader in history. For fourteen hours, he took questions from nearly 300 international and Ukrainian journalists inside a new food court in Kyiv.”
Past Eurasia Elections
Russia Local and Gubernatorial – September 8, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Federation
Population: 142.1 million
Russian elections are neither free nor fair, and viable genuine opposition candidates are frequently barred from running. Opposition politicians, civil society activists, and citizens who protest are routinely harassed and arrested. Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has a stranglehold on Russia’s politics. Putin won last year’s stage-managed presidential election against a cast of absurd characters after credible opponents were banned from the contest.
In last year’s gubernatorial elections, United Russia lost four out of the 22 governorships up for election. Even though the winners came from “Potemkin opposition” parties that do not genuinely oppose Putin, the fact that United Russia failed to make a clean sweep could signify a decline in Putin’s popularity. The 16 governorships up for election this year include St. Petersburg, where Putin got his political start, and the strategic Arctic port of Murmansk. The Moscow City Duma is also up for election.
This year, a number of genuine opposition figures sought to run for local office, but authorities blocked their access to the ballot. In response, citizens held a series of protests, resulting in a harsh crackdown. The protests have shown a level of coordination among the opposition not seen since the 1990s. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny encouraged “smart voting” – voting for the candidate most likely to beat United Russia – which resulted in a reduction in the number of seats won by pro-Kremlin candidates, despite major fraud and other irregularities. After the elections, the Kremlin waged a brutal crackdown on the opposition and civil society.
Celestine Bohlen, New York Times: “Elections in post-Soviet Russia have been troubled from the earliest days of the 28-year-old federated republic. But this year’s protests, amplified by the blanket arrest of opposition leaders and the detention of some 1,400 demonstrators at an unsanctioned protest on July 27, have thrown a particularly harsh light on Mr. Putin’s deepening authoritarian rule.”
Mikhail Shevelev, JAMnews: “Op-ed: Russian elections over – main events just beginning: The Moscow pre-election protests were a demonstration of the strength of the opposition, and this is more important than the formal victory of the current authorities.”
Meduza: “Navalny vs. Fukuyama: Russia’s top anti-corruption activist takes on the American political scientist who wrote ‘The End of History.’”
Kazakhstan Snap Presidential – June 9, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 18.7 million
Longtime strongman Nursultan Nazerbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan since independence in 1991, surprised everyone by stepping down and calling a snap presidential election. Unsurprisingly, his chosen successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, won in a tightly-managed election that observers judged not free and not fair. In the days surrounding the election, over 1,000 people were arrested for peacefully protesting. No real opposition exists within Kazakhstan, but some think that the seeds of a civic awakening are being planted.
Chris Rickleton, Eurasianet: “Kazakhstan embraces facial recognition, civil society recoils: The company introducing the technology says it will be used on public transport.”
Armenia Snap Parliamentary – December 9, 2018
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 3 million
On December 9, Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections officially elected former MP and journalist Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister. The snap elections followed a series of protests that led to the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia’s former president who became prime minister in an attempt to remain in power when faced with term limits. This has been dubbed Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.” The Economist named Armenia country of the year for 2018.
Joshua Kucera, Ani Mejlumyan and Eurasianet: “Pashinyan allies lament slow pace of change in the new Armenia: The new government has an overwhelming mandate for change. But the prime minister’s fear of unpopularity has hamstrung his ambitious agenda.”
Eurasia This Week – October 17, 2019
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Last Updated: October 30, 2019 by 21votes
October 17, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election news, analysis, and opinions from a different region of the world. We explore Eurasia on Thursdays. Click the map pins.
Ukraine Elections in Donbas - Proposed (TBD)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 44 million
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a plan to withdraw Ukrainian forces from the east, where Russian-backed separatists currently control territory, and hold elections. It is a very controversial plan and was met with protests.
Actor and comedian Zelensky beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko in the March presidential election. Zelensky dissolved the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and called for snap elections (parliamentary elections were originally supposed to take place in October this year). In addition to entrenched corruption and economic difficulties, Ukraine remains at war with Russian-backed separatists in the east. Policy debate during Ukraine’s presidential and legislative elections earlier this year centered on Russia, which has been ramping up aggression.
Zelensky’s Servant of the People party previously did not have any seats in the Rada, but swept the elections to win an unprecedented parliamentary majority. More than half of the MPs are new.
Russia Local and Gubernatorial – September 8, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Federation
Population: 142.1 million
Russian elections are neither free nor fair, and viable genuine opposition candidates are frequently barred from running. Opposition politicians, civil society activists, and citizens who protest are routinely harassed and arrested. Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has a stranglehold on Russia’s politics. Putin won last year’s stage-managed presidential election against a cast of absurd characters after credible opponents were banned from the contest.
In last year’s gubernatorial elections, United Russia lost four out of the 22 governorships up for election. Even though the winners came from “Potemkin opposition” parties that do not genuinely oppose Putin, the fact that United Russia failed to make a clean sweep could signify a decline in Putin’s popularity. The 16 governorships up for election this year include St. Petersburg, where Putin got his political start, and the strategic Arctic port of Murmansk. The Moscow City Duma is also up for election.
This year, a number of genuine opposition figures sought to run for local office, but authorities blocked their access to the ballot. In response, citizens held a series of protests, resulting in a harsh crackdown. The protests have shown a level of coordination among the opposition not seen since the 1990s. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny encouraged “smart voting” – voting for the candidate most likely to beat United Russia – which resulted in a reduction in the number of seats won by pro-Kremlin candidates, despite major fraud and other irregularities. After the elections, the Kremlin waged a brutal crackdown on the opposition and civil society.
Kazakhstan Snap Presidential – June 9, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 18.7 million
Longtime strongman Nursultan Nazerbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan since independence in 1991, surprised everyone by stepping down and calling a snap presidential election. Unsurprisingly, his chosen successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, won in a tightly-managed election that observers judged not free and not fair. In the days surrounding the election, over 1,000 people were arrested for peacefully protesting. No real opposition exists within Kazakhstan, but some think that the seeds of a civic awakening are being planted.
Armenia Snap Parliamentary – December 9, 2018
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 3 million
On December 9, Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections officially elected former MP and journalist Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister. The snap elections followed a series of protests that led to the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia’s former president who became prime minister in an attempt to remain in power when faced with term limits. This has been dubbed Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.” The Economist named Armenia country of the year for 2018.
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Ukraine Elections in Donbas – Proposed (TBD)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 44 million
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a plan to withdraw Ukrainian forces from the east, where Russian-backed separatists currently control territory, and hold elections. It is a very controversial plan and was met with protests.
Actor and comedian Zelensky beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko in the March presidential election. Zelensky dissolved the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and called for snap elections (parliamentary elections were originally supposed to take place in October this year). In addition to entrenched corruption and economic difficulties, Ukraine remains at war with Russian-backed separatists in the east. Policy debate during Ukraine’s presidential and legislative elections earlier this year centered on Russia, which has been ramping up aggression.
Zelensky’s Servant of the People party previously did not have any seats in the Rada, but swept the elections to win an unprecedented parliamentary majority. More than half of the MPs are new.
Ann M. Simonds, Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine Plan to End Conflict With Russia Meets Resistance: President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to withdraw Ukrainian forces and holding elections in territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists.”
Roman Tsymbaliuk, UNIAN (Ukraine): “Roman Tsymbaliuk: What is ‘Putinism’, and is it possible to strike deals with its adepts? Ukraine is a peaceful country. We don’t have a ‘party of war.’ We do have ‘defend and not give up’ party though. But this is not about war.”
Gwendolyn Sasse, The Conversation: “With renewed negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region on the horizon, the views of those people most affected by the war – the residents of eastern Ukraine – should be taken into account. Russia insists that the people living in areas of the Donbas currently controlled by separatists, who it supports, do not what to reintegrate with Ukraine. But two surveys I carried out in the Donbas in 2016 and 2019, revealed that a majority of those we surveyed in areas not controlled by the government would prefer to be part of the Ukranian state.”
Iryna Matviyishyn, Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert: “Seven takeaways from Zelenskyy’s marathon press conference (and one surprise): Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set a world record yesterday [October 10]. He held the world’s longest press conference for any state leader in history. For fourteen hours, he took questions from nearly 300 international and Ukrainian journalists inside a new food court in Kyiv.”
Past Eurasia Elections
Russia Local and Gubernatorial – September 8, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Semi-Presidential Federation
Population: 142.1 million
Russian elections are neither free nor fair, and viable genuine opposition candidates are frequently barred from running. Opposition politicians, civil society activists, and citizens who protest are routinely harassed and arrested. Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has a stranglehold on Russia’s politics. Putin won last year’s stage-managed presidential election against a cast of absurd characters after credible opponents were banned from the contest.
In last year’s gubernatorial elections, United Russia lost four out of the 22 governorships up for election. Even though the winners came from “Potemkin opposition” parties that do not genuinely oppose Putin, the fact that United Russia failed to make a clean sweep could signify a decline in Putin’s popularity. The 16 governorships up for election this year include St. Petersburg, where Putin got his political start, and the strategic Arctic port of Murmansk. The Moscow City Duma is also up for election.
This year, a number of genuine opposition figures sought to run for local office, but authorities blocked their access to the ballot. In response, citizens held a series of protests, resulting in a harsh crackdown. The protests have shown a level of coordination among the opposition not seen since the 1990s. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny encouraged “smart voting” – voting for the candidate most likely to beat United Russia – which resulted in a reduction in the number of seats won by pro-Kremlin candidates, despite major fraud and other irregularities. After the elections, the Kremlin waged a brutal crackdown on the opposition and civil society.
Celestine Bohlen, New York Times: “Elections in post-Soviet Russia have been troubled from the earliest days of the 28-year-old federated republic. But this year’s protests, amplified by the blanket arrest of opposition leaders and the detention of some 1,400 demonstrators at an unsanctioned protest on July 27, have thrown a particularly harsh light on Mr. Putin’s deepening authoritarian rule.”
Mikhail Shevelev, JAMnews: “Op-ed: Russian elections over – main events just beginning: The Moscow pre-election protests were a demonstration of the strength of the opposition, and this is more important than the formal victory of the current authorities.”
Meduza: “Navalny vs. Fukuyama: Russia’s top anti-corruption activist takes on the American political scientist who wrote ‘The End of History.’”
Kazakhstan Snap Presidential – June 9, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 18.7 million
Longtime strongman Nursultan Nazerbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan since independence in 1991, surprised everyone by stepping down and calling a snap presidential election. Unsurprisingly, his chosen successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, won in a tightly-managed election that observers judged not free and not fair. In the days surrounding the election, over 1,000 people were arrested for peacefully protesting. No real opposition exists within Kazakhstan, but some think that the seeds of a civic awakening are being planted.
Chris Rickleton, Eurasianet: “Kazakhstan embraces facial recognition, civil society recoils: The company introducing the technology says it will be used on public transport.”
Armenia Snap Parliamentary – December 9, 2018
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 3 million
On December 9, Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections officially elected former MP and journalist Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister. The snap elections followed a series of protests that led to the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia’s former president who became prime minister in an attempt to remain in power when faced with term limits. This has been dubbed Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.” The Economist named Armenia country of the year for 2018.
Joshua Kucera, Ani Mejlumyan and Eurasianet: “Pashinyan allies lament slow pace of change in the new Armenia: The new government has an overwhelming mandate for change. But the prime minister’s fear of unpopularity has hamstrung his ambitious agenda.”
The Year Ahead: Eurasia Elections
Moldova local (October 20); Belarus parliamentary (November 17); Uzbekistan parliamentary and local (December 22); Azerbaijan local (December 27); Tajikistan parliamentary (March)
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Category: This Week Tags: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine