Donbass republic estimates timing of referendum results — RT Russia and the former Soviet Union

The result of a referendum on the willingness of residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) to join Russia could be known by the end of the day, its top election official said.

Yelena Kravchenko announced the deadline this morning, after the LPR opened polling stations on the final day of the five-day plebiscite. Poll organizers kept stations closed for the previous four days for fear of attacks from Ukraine, instead dispatching poll workers to door-to-door in residential areas.

The last day of voting will continue until 4:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT), after which counting will begin. Kravchenko said that would likely give election officials enough time to have the results ready later in the day.

LPR chief Leonid Pasechnik, who voted in front of the cameras on Tuesday morning, offered a more conservative prediction that only preliminary results would be ready tonight. Pasechnik said he was voting for Russian membership and, by extension, « for the bright and happy future of our children and grandchildren. »

The LPR is one of four places where referendums on joining Russia are held. On Monday evening, the turnout there was 83.61%, behind the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), where the turnout was 86.89%. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, much of which is under the control of Russian troops, recorded turnouts of 63.58% and 66.43%, respectively.

kyiv called the polls « fake, » while its foreign backers have threatened to impose new economic sanctions on Russia following the referendums.

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