Did Russian gov. agency post real results of Crimean referendum?

[Larry1]

That is what is claimed in this article:

As you may recall, the official Crimean election results, as reported widely in the Western press, showed a 97 percent vote in favor of annexation with a turnout of 83 percent. No international observers were allowed. The pro-Russia election pressure would have raised the already weak vote in favor of annexation, of course.

Yesterday, however, according to a major Ukrainian news site, TSN.ua, the website of the President of Russia’s Council on Civil Society and Human Rights (shortened to President’s Human Rights Council) posted a report that was quickly taken down as if it were toxic radioactive waste. According to this purported report about the March referendum to annex Crimea, the turnout of Crimean voters was only 30 percent. And of these, only half voted for the referendum–meaning only 15 percent of Crimean citizens voted for annexation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/05/05/putins-human-rights-council-accidentally-posts-real-crimean-election-results-only-15-voted-for-annexation/

There is more at the link above.  Even if the article is correct, it seems a slight majority voted in favor of joining Russia:

Official Kremlin results: 97 percent of polled voters for annexation, turnout 83 percent, and 82 percent of total Crimean population voting in favor.

President’s Human Rights Council mid-point estimate: 55 percent of polled voters for annexation, turnout 40 percent, 22.5 percent of total Crimean population voting in favor.

[GQBlues]

...Even if the article is correct, it seems a slight majority voted in favor of joining Russia:

Regardless of how many ultimately bothered to come to the polls and voted, and the end result yielded a majority vote over another, what's the problem? Or the better question is, who's fault is this, really?

What's the average US presidential election turn-out since 1828? 55-60% +/-? I wonder at what point do elections in Ukraine/Russia/USA, etc..is nullified due to low voter turnout?

[Anotherkiwi]

I wonder at what point do elections in Ukraine/Russia/USA, etc..is nullified due to low voter turnout?

Think of it as an AGM - if you don't get a quorum, you try again later. 

[Chelseaboy]

If the article is correct,and only 15 % of Crimeans did indeed  vote for annexation from Ukraine,then Russia has stolen the land....and may well have serious problems holding onto it in the near to mid future.


One thing is clear..the referendum was a farce and illegal.

Let's not forget,the option for Crimea to remain part of Ukraine on a permanent basis was not given..hence the low voter turn-out...if the article is correct.

One wonders if Putler is having problems there already,which of course would be kept quiet,and his apparent request for pro-Russian seperatists in eastern Ukraine to not hold their own referendum,is because he's becoming nervous about his ability to actually hold Ukraine,after miscalculating the depth of anger his actions have created among pro-Ukrainians.

Odessa will have been a huge wake-up call to him,as he now knows what awaits him and Russia if he takes control of eastern/all of Ukraine.

[fathertime]

If the article is correct,and only 15 % of Crimeans did indeed  vote for annexation from Ukraine,then Russia has stolen the land....and may well have serious problems holding onto it in the near to mid future.

that is a big IF...that article appears to be bogus...if it were true I think we would have heard a lot more about it...

Here is an excerpt from a CNN article today.
A large majority in Sevastopol, as well as across the Crimean peninsula, voted in favor of seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia in a controversial referendum in March. Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea territory, which was part of Russia until 1954 and has a majority ethnic Russian population, followed swiftly on.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/09/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews




It appears that it is generally accepted that the majority (perhaps vast majority) wanted Russia to annex them.  As to the referendum being legal, that certainly is questionable...

Odessa will have been a huge wake-up call to him,as he now knows what awaits him and Russia if he takes control of eastern/all of Ukraine.

I don't think Odessa is a wake up call at all....I think that Russia has been aware that taking control of other parts of E. Ukraine could create a nightmarish insurgency...from my view, that is why it was never seriously on the table. The Russian troops could roll through, but what for? Just to have to fight an angry populace for the next several decades.  It seems to me that game plan has always been to let Ukraine govern but give more autonomy to Russian leaning regions. 


Fathertime! 

[AkMike]

Regardless of how many ultimately bothered to come to the polls and voted, and the end result yielded a majority vote over another, what's the problem? Or the better question is, who's fault is this, really?

 I just returned from an extended trip to UA and from what I was told there many didn't show up to vote because of the little green men had taken their internal passports away prior and w/o a passport you can't vote. Not to .mention the guns at the polls may have put a damper of a fair vote.

[BillyB]

If the article is correct,and only 15 % of Crimeans did indeed  vote for annexation from Ukraine,then Russia has stolen the land....and may well have serious problems holding onto it in the near to mid future.

Doesn't really matter if 15% or 100% of the people voted, there were no options for Crimeans to keep the status quo staying with Ukraine. The Crimean Tatars and probably anybody else who wanted Crimea to remain in Ukraine boycotted the election. The two choices offered to citizens were 1) leave Ukraine or 2) join Russia. Whoever wrote and printed the ballot didn't want Crimea to remain with Ukraine and are probably the same guys printing the ballots in east Ukraine. In most places in the world an election like this would be invalid and laughed at. It would be like America having a ballot saying vote "YES" for Obama or vote "NO" for the other guys as it's two choices.

[JayH]

Doesn't really matter if 15% or 100% of the people voted, there were no options for Crimeans to keep the status quo staying with Ukraine. The Crimean Tatars and probably anybody else who wanted Crimea to remain in Ukraine boycotted the election. The two choices offered to citizens were 1) leave Ukraine or 2) join Russia. Whoever wrote and printed the ballot didn't want Crimea to remain with Ukraine and are probably the same guys printing the ballots in east Ukraine. In most places in the world an election like this would be invalid and laughed at. It would be like America having a ballot saying vote "YES" for Obama or vote "NO" for the other guys as it's two choices.

BB-- the better way to summarise the options on that ballot is
1/ To join Russia now
2/ Or to join Russia later  !!

Even discussing that ballots legitimacy is doing Ukraine a disservice--it was a sham with zero credibility or legality.

[viking]

There are still plenty of people in Crimea who did not want to be part of Russia. More so in eastern UK. At some point, when Russia finally gets things sorted out ( or not), and the people find out it is not the bed of roses they thought it would be, I can see even more protests coming.