Ukraine president's party set for big win in parliamentary electionsJuly 22, 2019 - 11:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ukrainians gave their comic-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky a mandate to reboot the country's politics on Sunday by handing his party a record score in parliamentary elections, exit polls showed. Zelensky's Servant of the People party - named after the sitcom he starred in before his shock presidential win in April - took 43.9 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, according to combined figures from three pollsters. It was the highest score in a parliamentary election for any party since Ukraine gained its independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The pro-Moscow Opposition Platform-For Life came second with 11.5 percent, the polls said. The exit polls only showed results for seats assigned by party lists, which represent half of the 450-member parliament. The rest, in which members are directly elected in their districts, will be crucial in determining how Zelensky will try to form a government. Full, official results will be announced on Monday. Turnout when polls closed at 8:00pm (1700 GMT) was 49.7 percent. Without a majority, Zelensky will need to form a coalition and has indicated a preference for another new political force, the Golos (Voice) party of rock star Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. It took 6.3 percent, crossing the five percent threshold needed to enter parliament. The result is the culmination of a stunning turnaround in Ukrainian politics and will bring a host of newcomers into parliament and government. They will face a long list of challenges in a country heavily dependent on foreign aid and scarred by years of war with Russia-backed separatists. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Director General of Ucom takes part in recruiting conference Ralph Yirikian participated in the Recruit Days business and networking conference organized by Move2Career. Ameriabank named Best Bank in Armenia for 2024 by Global Finance Ameriabank has been named the Best Bank in Armenia by Global Finance magazine in its 31st annual awards. Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Lavrov rejects Armenia’s “defamation” of Russia, CSTO Lavrov decried the Armenian leaders’ “defamation” of Russian soldiers and border guards deployed in Armenia. |