RIA Novosti: Voter Turnout in Luhansk Almost 38%: Election Commission

LUHANSK, November 2 (RIA Novosti) – Voter turnout in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine is about 38 percent as of 5 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT),Luhansk election commission chief Sergei Kozyakov told journalists Sunday.

“As of 5 p.m. local time [14:00 GMT] the turnout totaled 129,395 voters, i.e. 37.83 percent of the total,” Kozyakov said at a press briefing in the city of Luhansk.

He said that a high turnout was observed all around the republic.

According to Kozyakov, there were no incidents registered during the elections.

The election commission chief also noted that all 102 polling stations have been opened in the Luhansk region, as well as in Russia’s Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov regions.

Voters in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are electing on Sunday the heads of local government and legislatures. Kiev and several western countries said they will not recognize the results of this vote and repeatedly called it illegitimate.

In April, Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation in the country’s southeast, where independence supporters refused to accept the new government that was put in power following a coup in February.

Donetsk and Luhansk held referendums this May on self-determination. Over 90 percent of the voters cast their votes for greater autonomy. The territories declared themselves sovereign states as a result.