The incumbent president won 5% of the votes. This has to be some sort of a record. Just how bad of a president do you have to be to garner 5% in all? Kind of encouraging.
2% of those who voted voted “against all”. Very democratic of Ukraine to have an “against all” option, I hadn’t spotted this being the case in any other countries, just in a few former east block ones. What happens if the majority circles this option?
I would love that option.
According to Wikipedia,
Entities that include “None of the Above” on ballots as standard procedure include Greece (λευκό, white, but unrelated to a political party of the similarly-sounding name), the U.S. state of Nevada (None of These Candidates), Ukraine (Against all), Spain (voto en blanco), France (vote blanc), Colombia (voto en blanco), the United States Libertarian Party and Green Party, the Florida affiliate of the American Patriot Party, and the Debian Project. Russia had such an option on its ballots (Against all) until it was abolished in 2006.
I’m glad you posted this. I’ve had an idea to start a citizen’s initiative (impractical, I’ve got neither the time or the know-how) to place “None of the Above” on the ballot (I like “Against All” better). Since elections are held only to give legitimacy to those in power, this would provide a means to damage their legitimacy. I assume that if Against All got the majority, the person with the 2nd most votes would win. It would, however, be better to send “no one” to represent us.
In the second round there will be near 10% against all.
It is a very hard choce in Ukraine now.
On the one side is pro-totalitarian anti-capitalistic populist Julia Tymoshenko, on other corruption Viktor Yanukovich, wiyh high posibility of returning to pre-orange times. Who would you choose?
At the first round, I was among that 5% voted for incumbent president Yushchenko. Now I will vote “against all”.
Looking at the recent bout of elections in Illinois and the record-low voter turnout I imagined how satisfying it would be if, one day, absolutely no one turned out to vote. What on earth would the elitist sycophants do?
After the 1999 war of Kosovo, the Serbs refused to go to vote for the President for like 3 or 4 times. They just kept repeating elections until Serbs voted someone. Juts like in Ireland: you’ll keep being harassed to vote until you do.