Upcoming Elections
Moldova and Ukraine have elections coming up soon.
Ukraine Presidential – March 31, 2019 and Parliamentary – October 2019
Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has won independence from Moscow with the signing of a “tomos,” a decree, from the Patriarch of Constantinople, the highest spiritual authority in Orthodoxy.
President Petro Poroshenko, who faces a tough re-election contest, poses with the tomos, his family, and the Metropolitan of Kyiv:
Following the receipt of the tomos, Poroshenko rose to second place in the polls.
Poroshenko said in an address: “And the Tomos for us is actually another act of proclaiming Ukraine’s independence. It will complete the assertion of the independence of the Ukrainian state, strengthen religious freedom, interconfessional peace.”
Many Ukrainians are jubilant. The Kremlin is less joyful as this move represents a decline in Russia’s soft power in the region.
Brian Mefford of Wooden Horse Strategies details five certain things about Ukraine’s upcoming elections on the Atlantic Council’s Ukraine Alert blog.
Belarus Presidential and Parliamentary – 2020
Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky writes: “President Vladimir Putin has more than five years left in office, but he must already contemplate his next move. The transition among Russia’s leaders is seldom smooth, so Putin is looking at ways to ensure his continued influence by forging a closer union with neighboring Belarus.”
Anne Applebaum writes: “But our apathy has a price. It’s not just that Belarusians may be on the cusp of losing their independence; in addition, Moscow may be on the cusp of becoming, once again, a full-fledged imperial capital, absorbing and ruling over multiple countries. That will shape the Russian political elite’s thinking about itself, about its neighbors, about its place in the world. Putin once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century; it stands to reason that, in the 21st century, he would try to put it together again.”
Kazakhstan Presidential – 2020
Catherine Putz writes in The Diplomat: “Bar Brawl Death Touches Off Caustic Ethnic Tension Debate in Kazakhstan. The facts of the initial fight, in which a young man was killed, have been entirely eclipsed by the politics of nationalism.” The incident led to a demonstration of 200 people, a rare occurrence in Kazakhstan. Presidential elections are set for 2020 and parliamentary elections for 2021, but snap elections could happen.
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary – 2020
Kyrgyzstan saw protests in the past week as well. RFE/RL reports: “Some 300 activists have gathered in the center of the Kyrgyz capital to protest against what they called the increasing number of Chinese migrants in Kyrgyzstan. During the January 7 demonstration at Bishkek’s Central Square, the participants urged the authorities to deport illegal Chinese migrants back to their country and stop granting citizenship to those who marry Kyrgyz nationals.”
Kyiv’s famous Maidan. Photo credit: Jorge Franganillo
21votes does not necessarily endorse all of the views in all of the linked articles or publications.
Eurasia This Week – January 10, 2019
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Last Updated: January 29, 2019 by 21votes
Each day, 21votes gathers election and political news from a different region of the world. We explore Eurasia on Thursdays. Click the map pins.
Ukraine Presidential - March 31, 2019
Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has won independence from Moscow with the signing of a “tomos,” a decree, from the Patriarch of Constantinople, the highest spiritual authority in Orthodoxy.
Following the receipt of the tomos, incumbent president Petro Poroshenko, who faces a tough re-election contest, rose to second place in the polls.
Poroshenko said in an address: “And the Tomos for us is actually another act of proclaiming Ukraine’s independence. It will complete the assertion of the independence of the Ukrainian state, strengthen religious freedom, interconfessional peace.”
Many Ukrainians are jubilant. The Kremlin is less joyful as this move represents a decline in Russia’s soft power in the region.
Brian Mefford of Wooden Horse Strategies details five certain things about Ukraine’s upcoming elections on the Atlantic Council’s Ukraine Alert blog.
Belarus Presidential and Parliamentary - 2020
Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky writes: “President Vladimir Putin has more than five years left in office, but he must already contemplate his next move. The transition among Russia’s leaders is seldom smooth, so Putin is looking at ways to ensure his continued influence by forging a closer union with neighboring Belarus.”
Anne Applebaum writes: “But our apathy has a price. It’s not just that Belarusians may be on the cusp of losing their independence; in addition, Moscow may be on the cusp of becoming, once again, a full-fledged imperial capital, absorbing and ruling over multiple countries. That will shape the Russian political elite’s thinking about itself, about its neighbors, about its place in the world. Putin once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century; it stands to reason that, in the 21st century, he would try to put it together again.”
Kazakhstan Presidential - 2020
Catherine Putz writes in The Diplomat: “Bar Brawl Death Touches Off Caustic Ethnic Tension Debate in Kazakhstan. The facts of the initial fight, in which a young man was killed, have been entirely eclipsed by the politics of nationalism.” The incident led to a demonstration of 200 people, a rare occurrence in Kazakhstan. Presidential elections are set for 2020 and parliamentary elections for 2021, but snap elections could happen.
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary - 2020
Kyrgyzstan saw protests in the past week as well. RFE/RL reports: “Some 300 activists have gathered in the center of the Kyrgyz capital to protest against what they called the increasing number of Chinese migrants in Kyrgyzstan. During the January 7 demonstration at Bishkek’s Central Square, the participants urged the authorities to deport illegal Chinese migrants back to their country and stop granting citizenship to those who marry Kyrgyz nationals.
Upcoming Elections
Moldova and Ukraine have elections coming up soon.
Ukraine Presidential – March 31, 2019 and Parliamentary – October 2019
Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has won independence from Moscow with the signing of a “tomos,” a decree, from the Patriarch of Constantinople, the highest spiritual authority in Orthodoxy.
President Petro Poroshenko, who faces a tough re-election contest, poses with the tomos, his family, and the Metropolitan of Kyiv:
Following the receipt of the tomos, Poroshenko rose to second place in the polls.
Poroshenko said in an address: “And the Tomos for us is actually another act of proclaiming Ukraine’s independence. It will complete the assertion of the independence of the Ukrainian state, strengthen religious freedom, interconfessional peace.”
Many Ukrainians are jubilant. The Kremlin is less joyful as this move represents a decline in Russia’s soft power in the region.
Brian Mefford of Wooden Horse Strategies details five certain things about Ukraine’s upcoming elections on the Atlantic Council’s Ukraine Alert blog.
Belarus Presidential and Parliamentary – 2020
Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky writes: “President Vladimir Putin has more than five years left in office, but he must already contemplate his next move. The transition among Russia’s leaders is seldom smooth, so Putin is looking at ways to ensure his continued influence by forging a closer union with neighboring Belarus.”
Anne Applebaum writes: “But our apathy has a price. It’s not just that Belarusians may be on the cusp of losing their independence; in addition, Moscow may be on the cusp of becoming, once again, a full-fledged imperial capital, absorbing and ruling over multiple countries. That will shape the Russian political elite’s thinking about itself, about its neighbors, about its place in the world. Putin once described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century; it stands to reason that, in the 21st century, he would try to put it together again.”
Kazakhstan Presidential – 2020
Catherine Putz writes in The Diplomat: “Bar Brawl Death Touches Off Caustic Ethnic Tension Debate in Kazakhstan. The facts of the initial fight, in which a young man was killed, have been entirely eclipsed by the politics of nationalism.” The incident led to a demonstration of 200 people, a rare occurrence in Kazakhstan. Presidential elections are set for 2020 and parliamentary elections for 2021, but snap elections could happen.
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary – 2020
Kyrgyzstan saw protests in the past week as well. RFE/RL reports: “Some 300 activists have gathered in the center of the Kyrgyz capital to protest against what they called the increasing number of Chinese migrants in Kyrgyzstan. During the January 7 demonstration at Bishkek’s Central Square, the participants urged the authorities to deport illegal Chinese migrants back to their country and stop granting citizenship to those who marry Kyrgyz nationals.”
21votes does not necessarily endorse all of the views in all of the linked articles or publications.
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Category: This Week Tags: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine