MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) — US Secretary of State John Kerry has congratulated Ukraine on the success of the country's early parliamentary elections.
"I join President Obama in congratulating Ukraine on successful parliamentary elections. The people of Ukraine have spoken, and they have again chosen to chart the course of democracy, reform, and European integration," Kerry said in a statement published on the US State Department's website Monday.
"We applaud Ukraine's commitment to an inclusive and transparent political process that strengthens national unity. This commitment is essential to resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the country's other challenges," the secretary of state added.
Kerry stated that the United States stands ready to work with Ukraine's president and its new government "to promote reform and an accountable judiciary to fight corruption, pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the east."
Early parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on Sunday. Ukraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that voter turnout stood at 52.42 percent according to data compiled from all 198 districts.
With over 80 percent of ballots counted, Yatsenyuk's People's Front has garnered 22 percent of votes and Poroshenko's party is close behind with 21.6 percent, according to the Central Election Commission.
Another four Ukrainian parties to have successfully passed the election threshold are Samopomich (Self-Help), headed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy with 10.98 percent of votes, Opposition Bloc with 9.48 percent, Oleh Lyashko's nationalist Radical Party with 7.46 percent and Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), headed by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 5.69 percent.
