Ukraine's Donetsk Region Votes 89pc For Independence, According To Pro-Russia Rebels -- ABC News (Australia)
These can be considered the final results," said Roman Lyagin, the head of Donetsk's self-styled electoral commission, after polling stations closed.
He said that voter turnout was just under 75 per cent.We are announcing the results immediately after we received them ourselves," the rebel said.
It turned out to be extremely easy to count the votes as the number of people who voted against was extremely low and the number of spoiled ballots was low."
Donetsk was one of two regions holding referendums on independence from Ukraine that authorities in Kiev have slammed as a "farce" and the West fears will bring the ex-Soviet Republic closer to civil war.
There was no immediate word on results from the other region, Lugansk, where polls closed slightly later.
The referendum seemed a decidedly ad hoc affair, with ballot papers printed without security provision, polling stations limited in some areas and confusion on what people were asked to endorse.
The question on the ballot paper, printed in Russian and Ukrainian, asked: "Do you support the act of state self-rule of the Donetsk People's Republic?".
Some see a yes vote as endorsement of autonomy within Ukraine, some as a move to independence and others as a nod to absorption by Russia.
A separatist leader from the Donetsk region said it would form its own state bodies and consider government soldiers there as "occupiers", Interfax news agency said.
"All military troops on our territory after the official announcement of referendum results will be considered illegal and declared occupiers," said Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-styled Donetsk republic.
"It is necessary to form state bodies and military authorities as soon as possible."
Engineer Sergei, 33, said he would vote yes to the question."We're all for the independence of the Donetsk republic," he said.
"It means leaving behind that fascist, pro-American government (in Kiev), which brought no one any good."
But in the same queue of voters, 54-year-old Irina saw a yes vote as endorsement of autonomy within Ukraine.
"I want Donetsk to have its own powers, some kind of autonomy, separate from Kiev," she said."I'm not against a united Ukraine, but not under those people we did not choose, who seized power and are going to ruin the country."
The eastern rebellion began shortly after former president Viktor Yanokovych fled to Russia in February under pressure from mass protests in Kiev by pro-Western activists.
Mr Turchinov has urged east Ukrainian political leaders to join a "round table" discussion on devolution of powers in Ukraine.
But he has said he would not negotiate with "terrorists", a formulation meant to exclude most of the more prominent rebel leaders.
The rebels and the Kremlin regard the pro-European Kiev government that replaced Mr Yanukovych as lacking legitimacy.
Kiev aims to banish such questions by holding a national presidential election on May 25.
He said that voter turnout was just under 75 per cent.We are announcing the results immediately after we received them ourselves," the rebel said.
It turned out to be extremely easy to count the votes as the number of people who voted against was extremely low and the number of spoiled ballots was low."
Donetsk was one of two regions holding referendums on independence from Ukraine that authorities in Kiev have slammed as a "farce" and the West fears will bring the ex-Soviet Republic closer to civil war.
There was no immediate word on results from the other region, Lugansk, where polls closed slightly later.
The referendum seemed a decidedly ad hoc affair, with ballot papers printed without security provision, polling stations limited in some areas and confusion on what people were asked to endorse.
The question on the ballot paper, printed in Russian and Ukrainian, asked: "Do you support the act of state self-rule of the Donetsk People's Republic?".
Some see a yes vote as endorsement of autonomy within Ukraine, some as a move to independence and others as a nod to absorption by Russia.
A separatist leader from the Donetsk region said it would form its own state bodies and consider government soldiers there as "occupiers", Interfax news agency said.
"All military troops on our territory after the official announcement of referendum results will be considered illegal and declared occupiers," said Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-styled Donetsk republic.
"It is necessary to form state bodies and military authorities as soon as possible."
Engineer Sergei, 33, said he would vote yes to the question."We're all for the independence of the Donetsk republic," he said.
"It means leaving behind that fascist, pro-American government (in Kiev), which brought no one any good."
But in the same queue of voters, 54-year-old Irina saw a yes vote as endorsement of autonomy within Ukraine.
"I want Donetsk to have its own powers, some kind of autonomy, separate from Kiev," she said."I'm not against a united Ukraine, but not under those people we did not choose, who seized power and are going to ruin the country."
The eastern rebellion began shortly after former president Viktor Yanokovych fled to Russia in February under pressure from mass protests in Kiev by pro-Western activists.
Mr Turchinov has urged east Ukrainian political leaders to join a "round table" discussion on devolution of powers in Ukraine.
But he has said he would not negotiate with "terrorists", a formulation meant to exclude most of the more prominent rebel leaders.
The rebels and the Kremlin regard the pro-European Kiev government that replaced Mr Yanukovych as lacking legitimacy.
Kiev aims to banish such questions by holding a national presidential election on May 25.
