Eurasia This Week – January 3, 2019

Each day, 21votes gathers election and political news from a different region of the world. We explore Eurasia on Thursdays. Click the map pins.

Moldova Parliamentary - February 24, 2019

Balkan Insight reports: “Almost all parties with realistic chances of winning seats in Moldova’s parliament have registered for the February elections – with pro-EU opposition parties fielding a cast of newcomers and the older parties relying on more established names.”

Ukraine Presidential - March 31, 2019

Ukraine’s presidential election campaign has officially begun. Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced his candidacy on New Years Eve. Along with incumbent president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Zelenskiy is a top contender for the job.

Armenia Snap Parliamentary - December 2018

Quartz’s Annalisa Merelli examines how a protest movement fueled Armenia’s remarkable progress toward democracy, and looks at why the “Velvet Revolution” succeeded when others with similar goals had not: “The year 2018 was one in which authoritarianism made striking gains in countries like Hungary, Poland, and Brazil. But in May, Armenia managed to free itself from autocracy—without shedding a drop of blood. By December, the country had held was was arguably its first fair election in two decades.”

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov performed a Christmas song about himself complete with backup dancers in caftans (video here). Part of the song is in English. Berdimuhamedov wants a cult of personality like his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, had. Instead, when not singing, he is reduced to sending his goon squad to harass citizens who use newspaper bearing his image as toilet paper (a frequent occurrence since many cannot afford toilet paper due to Turkmenistan’s financial crisis).

Upcoming Elections
Moldova Parliamentary – February 24, 2019
Balkan Insight reports: “Almost all parties with realistic chances of winning seats in Moldova’s parliament have registered for the February elections – with pro-EU opposition parties fielding a cast of newcomers and the older parties relying on more established names.”

Ukraine Presidential – March 31, 2019
Ukraine’s presidential election campaign has officially begun. Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced his candidacy on New Years Eve. Along with incumbent president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Zelenskiy is a top contender for the job.

Recent Elections
Armenia Snap Parliamentary – December 2018
Quartz’s Annalisa Merelli examines how a protest movement fueled Armenia’s remarkable progress toward democracy, and looks at why the “Velvet Revolution” succeeded when others with similar goals had not: “The year 2018 was one in which authoritarianism made striking gains in countries like Hungary, Poland, and Brazil. But in May, Armenia managed to free itself from autocracy—without shedding a drop of blood. By December, the country had held was was arguably its first fair election in two decades.”

Other Regional News and Views
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov performed a Christmas song about himself complete with backup dancers in caftans (video here). Part of the song is in English. Berdimuhamedov wants a cult of personality like his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, had. Instead, when not singing, he is reduced to sending his goon squad to harass citizens who use newspaper bearing his image as toilet paper (a frequent occurrence since many cannot afford toilet paper due to Turkmenistan’s financial crisis).


Yulia Tymoshenko campaigning in 2006. Photo credit: Minny Robot

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