Ukrainian voters had high expectations after appearing to give President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party an unprecedented majority in parliament to tackle corruption and end the war against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The small town of Avdiivka, site of one of Europe’s largest coke plants, got no break from gunfire on July 21, when Ukrainians voted in a new parliament. But the battles this war-torn town faces are not just with the Moscow-backed separatists about 15 kilometers to its south, in the city of Donetsk. For many, as Current Time correspondent Georgiy Prylik reports, the struggle is for a normal election in the face of abnormal circumstances.
With a solid parliamentary majority in hand, it may look like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy can now call the shots in Ukraine’s parliament. But some analysts interviewed by Current Time caution about difficulties ahead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised "victory over corruption" after his political party was on course to win a majority in the new parliament. Zelenskiy is a former actor and he has invited a start-up party led by Ukraine’s biggest pop-music star to begin coalition talks.
In corruption-plagued Ukraine, it’s known as “sowing buckwheat” – handing out presents, from buckwheat to bottle openers, to secure voter support. To remind Ukrainians ahead of this year’s parliamentary vote that “buckwheat” comes with a heavy price – the loss of a say in government -- the election watchdog Chesno (Fairly) and Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper set up a Museum of Election Trash at Kyiv’s National Museum of the History of Ukraine. The exhibits showcase campaign handouts since 1991.
