Updated 11:42 p.m. Moscow Time
KIEV, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - President Petro Poroshenko hailed on Sunday voters' support of his plan for peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine held on Sunday snap parliamentary elections ordered by Poroshenko to ensure a pro-Europe majority in the parliament while clearing out lawmakers loyal to ex-leader Viktor Yanukovych.
«The majority of voters were in favor of the political forces that support the president’s peace plan and seek a political solution to the situation in Donbas, while paying due attention to the strengthening of the [Ukrainian] armed forces," a statement on the presidential website said citing Poroshenko.
"The supporters of the forceful solution were in clear minority," the document said.
A military confrontation in the southeastern regions of Ukraine started in mid-April, when the Kiev government sent forces to suppress independence supporters who refused to recognize the government that came to power after a coup in February.
The warring sides agreed to a ceasefire on September 5 following the talks in Minsk and adopted a memorandum specifying steps for the ceasefire implementation on September 19. However, the Kiev forces and the independent supporters have repeatedly accused one another of violating the truce.
Authorities in Ukraine's breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk said they would not go to polls on October 26 or on December 7, which is a separate election day stipulated by President Poroshenko's law that also granted them a special status. Instead, the regions are set to vote on November 2.
