The occupiers deliberately stretched the elections over three days because this ensures a higher turnout. And if we talk about Akyar (Sevastopol), the ‘elections’ there in general began as early as 28 August, because the so-called Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation recommended holding the ‘elections’ well in advance, because there is a security threat.
The ‘head’ of the occupied peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, said that allegedly ‘the electoral process was held without gross violations and was as open and democratic as possible’. He thanked the Crimeans ‘for high civic activity’, although in fact the turnout for the elections was quite low.
Indeed, during the first two days of ‘voting’ the turnout was only 26%. According to the results of three days – remained at the level of 44.51% throughout Crimea, in particular, 49.05% in Akyar (Sevastopol).The occupation authorities even on the third day of voting, Sunday, opened 30 additional ‘polling stations’ on the territory of medical centres and the remand prison in Akyar (Simferopol).
Crimean Tatar Resource Centre lawyer Liudmyla Korotkikh said that the Russians, as always, using administrative resources, pressured people to go to vote.The Crimean Tatar Resource Centre notes the illegality of such actions of Russia. The entire civilised world does not recognise the results of this ‘vote’.
Thus, the EU has already condemned the holding of the so-called Russian ‘elections’ in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular in the territory of Crimea and in the city of Akyar (Sevastopol), and does not recognise their results, which are null and void in the legal dimension.
.‘Russia held partial regional and local elections from 6 to 8 September, including on the territory of the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in the city of Sevastopol. The European Union strongly condemns the holding of these so-called Russian ‘elections’ on the territory of Ukraine. They are yet another act of violation of international law, the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,’ – the document reads.The CTRC stresses that these illegal ‘elections’ are yet another attempt to legalise its presence in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Ukraine and the international community will never recognise this farce, and anyone who participates in these ‘elections’ will be an accomplice in a crime against Ukraine’s sovereignty. It is therefore important that the inhabitants of the occupied territories realise the consequences of their participation in such illegal actions and refrain from co-operating with the occupation authorities.