As cities finished counting the votes from Ukraine’s second round of mayoral elections, Mariupol and Krasnoarmiisk in the Donetsk region still haven’t held elections. Mariupol, which over the last nineteen months has been a strategic target of pro-Russian separatists, has become a political battleground. Local elections that were supposed to take place on October 25 were canceled, officially because of “the improper preparation of election ballots, the absence of control over their printing and number, and lack of reliable storage.” However, the events that led to their cancellation appear to be more political than procedural. Mariupol volunteers and activists blocked …read more
Source: Atlantic Council