Ukraine pauses before decisive vote

MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Ukraine braced for decisive parliamentary elections Saturday against the backdrop of unrest in eastern regions roiled by conflict between government troops and pro-Russian separatist forces.

Campaigning material was being taken down across the country in line with election laws ahead of a vote today that pollsters say will be dominated by President Petro Poroshenko’s party.

Parliament is seen changing composition completely with the former ruling party of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted by a street revolt in February, set to disappear from the legislature.

Speaking in a televised address Saturday, Poroshenko said the election would lead to a “full reset of power” and enable the formation of a reform-minded legislature.

“It is very difficult to press on the gas pedal with reforms when hundreds of deputies are simultaneously and in a coordinated fashion slamming the brakes,” he said.

Parties expected to enter into parliament all broadly share a pro-Western line and are united in their calls to tackle rampant corruption and undertake root-and-branch economic reforms. Skepticism remains strong toward a political elite that many Ukrainians continue to see as self-serving.

Shelling has continued in eastern Ukraine despite a truce being called in early September and in areas near the main focus of fighting the mood was subdued and turnout expected to be low. The east is where Yanukovych drew most of his support and one worry is that the voice of the population in this region could go unheard.

“The concern of whether this will be a free but also fair election — that is definitely one of the issues we are looking at,” said Kent Harstedt, a coordinator for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s observer mission.