Poroshenko hobbles on

[bemildred]

Some interesting bits about Yats and Saakashvili at the end.

KIEV — It was meant to be a local election campaign like no other, a scrubbed-up democratic exercise following two years of death and sacrifice. Yet Sunday’s vote in Ukraine was a depressing return to type.

There was vote rigging, criminality, dodgy candidates, violence, widespread voter apathy and buckwheat handouts, and one set of elections even had to be canceled after it was “discovered” late in the day that the printers used for producing ballot papers belonged to the oligarch bankrolling one of the candidates.

But as the exit polls trickled in, the president’s party could claim a modest win. It was not a complete victory by any means, with big defeats in the east and wins for leading foes. But solid voting across central regions has given Petro Poroshenko a much-needed crutch to hobble on with.

There were dire warnings before the vote: enforced early parliamentary elections, an oligarch-led coup, and the return of a rejuvenated Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s most natural and disruptive politician. But for now, these fears have been played into the long grass.

http://www.politico.eu/article/petro-poroshenko-hobbles-on-ukraine-local-election-vote-rigging/

[bemildred]

1. EU suffers major court defeat on Ukraine sanctions

The General Court of the European Union on Monday annulled European sanctions against a Ukrainian oligarch, harshly criticizing the evidence relied on by European countries and delivering a blow to the bloc’s fledgling sanctions regime.

The court struck down a March 2014 decision by the Council that froze the assets of Andriy Portnov. The judges blasted the EU for relying solely on accusations from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine, without corroborating the charges.

The letter from the prosecutor, the court noted, failed “to provide any details concerning either the facts alleged against Mr. Portnov or his responsibility in that regard.”

The ruling is more symbolic than anything because Portnov was removed from the sanctions list in March. Still, the consequences of the ruling could be far-reaching.

http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-suffers-major-court-defeat-on-ukraine-sanctions/

[Fred Sanders]

2. Ukraine is now like the Land of the Oligarchs. And of course slowly circling the drain as a result.

[bemildred]

3. Yep. A free market utopia, just like they said.

And clearly Russia has been put in its place. Ms Nuland must be proud.