Watching CNN now and they're saying 95% of the voters in Crimea favor joining Russia

[Cali_Democrat]

At least Putin didn't claim 100%. That would put him firmly in North Korea territory.

[TwilightGardener]

1. LOL.

[snagglepuss]

2. FTR the referendum didn't include the option of choosing to stay in the Ukraine

so those who want to stay boycotted the rigged referendum

[arcane1]

3. Were there any other options?

No "yes or no" but rather "yes or abstain"?

[snagglepuss]

4. As far as I know, no, No options that would give voice to people

wanting to stay with Ukraine

[newthinking]

15. Untrue. Russian Federation vs stay with Ukraine under the 1992 constitution

More independence under the older constitution but still part of Ukraine

I posted this a few days ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_status_referendum,_2014


There will be two options to choose from on the ballot with voters able to choose only one of them. The options, in synthesis, reflect the following stances:

Option 1: Do you support Crimea joining Russian Federation as a federal subject?

Option 2: Do you support restoration of 1992 Crimean Constitution and Crimea's status as a part of Ukraine?

[mythology]

32. That's a rather loose option to remain part of Ukraine

There was no option to simply remain part of Ukraine as the country currently exists.

Plus the second option, would just be a pretext for Putin to invade if the actual legitimate Ukrainian government tried to, you know, govern their own territory.

[newthinking]

35. that's speculation. I was simply correcting with facts as people have been saying that all

the options were to join Russia.

[Warren Stupidity]

39. The second option clearly states "remain part of Ukraine".

The facts are that the people of Crimea overwhelmingly support re-integration with Russia. That doesn't make it right, but there is no need to discredit the referendum, the Russian annexation of Crimea is wrong anyway. Why propagate bullshit to make the case that it is wrong?

[snagglepuss]

40. At first glance, the 2nd option seems to offer the prospects of remaining within Ukraine"

"...1992 national blueprint - which was adopted soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then quickly abolished by the young post-Soviet Ukrainian state - is far from doing that.

This foresees giving Crimea all the qualities of an independent entity within Ukraine - but with the broad right to determine its own path and choose relations with whom it wants - including Russia.

With the pro-Russian assembly already saying it wants to return Crimea to Russia, this second option only offers a slightly longer route to shifting the peninsula back under Russian control, analysts say.




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/12/crimea-vote-join-russia-ballot-no-option_n_4947557.html

[Duckhunter935]

6. Russia or independence from Ukraine

No status quo option

[arcane1]

9. Thanks!

[newthinking]

18. again, please look it up. Lots of false info out there

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_status_referendum,_2014


There will be two options to choose from on the ballot with voters able to choose only one of them. The options, in synthesis, reflect the following stances:

Option 1: Do you support Crimea joining Russian Federation as a federal subject?

Option 2: Do you support restoration of 1992 Crimean Constitution and Crimea's status as a part of Ukraine?

[ProSense]

21. Regardless, it's all illegal and controlled by Russia

If Putin wanted this to be on the up and up, he wouldn't have forced a vote at gunpoint via an illegal referendum, and then shut out election observers.

<...>

Crimean leaders have made no secret of the fact that they expect a landslide victory for joining Russia, and posters across the region call on voters to make the correct choice. Ethnic Russians make up a slight majority in Crimea, which was part of the Russian republic within the Soviet Union until 1954. But the minority populations of Tatars and Ukrainians are less enthusiastic about the vote and many Tatars have said they will boycott the poll.

<...>

No major international organisations are monitoring the vote, but a group of observers from 23 countries – a mixture of anti-western ideologues and European far-right politicians – have arrived of their own accord and gave a press conference in Simferopol on Saturday evening.

Belá Kovács, an MEP from the far-right Hungarian party Jobbik, said everything he had seen on Saturday conformed to international standards and he expected the vote to be free and fair.

- more -

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/ukraine-crisis-crimea-referendum

Ukraine crisis: Early results show Crimea votes to join Russia

Perevalnoye, Ukraine (CNN) -- Preliminary results in Sunday's referendum on whether Ukraine's Crimea region should join Russia or become an independent state overwhelmingly show support for Russia.

With 50% percent of the ballots counted, more than 95% of voters want to become part of that country, according to Crimean Electoral Commission head Mikhail Malyshev...Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing exit polls, reported that some 93% of people had voted to join Russia.

<...>

But Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, speaking in Kiev, dismissed the referendum as illegitimate under Ukrainian and international law and improperly run... Ukrainian authorities had information from Crimea about voting irregularities, including people who are not Crimean citizens casting ballots, the absence of proper monitoring and the presence of armed men.

Malyshev, the head of the Crimean Election Commission, said there was no information that people with foreign passports were voting in the referendum. He also said no "provocations" had been reported at polling stations.

- more -

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/16/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html

[snagglepuss]

42. Bollocks. At first glance, the 2nd option seems to offer the prospects of remaining within Ukraine

but it actually doesn't, the 2nd option was crafted simply to give an appearance of choice. Your post could seem like shilling for Russia. Just saying.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/12/crimea-vote-join-russia-ballot-no-option_n_4947557.html

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Yep....link ---->>>>

--->>.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/12/crimea-vote-join-russia-ballot-no-option_n_4947557.html

[Warren Stupidity]

14. That isn't clear.

Choice 1: Are you in favour of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a part of the Russian Federation?[51]
Choice 2: Are you in favour of restoring the 1992 Constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?[51]

From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_referendum,_2014)
There is some confusion about which version of the 1992 Constitution was intended, but "Crimea as a part of Ukraine" seems rather unambiguous.

[Rectangle]

38. Might as well have said 195% n/t

[Scootaloo]

7. Okay, I laughed

Whatever you want to say about Putin, he's a magnificent source of image macros.

[Jesus Malverde]

10. So true, has been for a while.

[Scootaloo]

12. ...

[Cali_Democrat]

11. hahahahaha

[Aerows]

36. It's a pretty confusing offering

I am not a resident of Crimea, so my opinion doesn't matter, but it kind of seems like, to quote Henry Ford, "you can have any color you want, as long as it is black".

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Ford

[arely staircase]

8. weren' the choices

join Russia

and

join the shit out of russia

[newthinking]

13. No, Join Russia vs stay with Ukraine under the 1992 constitution

[arely staircase]

19. so status quo not a choice?

[mythology]

34. That is correct

And given that Russia has already sent troops into Crimea, even the second option is just a pretense until he tries to fully invade Crimea and possibly the rest of Ukraine.

[LittleBlue]

16. Rofl

Superb

[Cleita]

17. At least AlJ reported that those who didn't favor it stayed home and

didn't vote because there was no third choice of things remaining the way they are. They said it was in protest but it could have been because of fear too. I guess that's another way of getting 98%. I hope our voting cheating and suppressing red states aren't taking notes.

[shaayecanaan]

20. Ha!

At least Putin didn't claim 100%. That would put him firmly in North Korea territory.

Or Bill Clinton territory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovan_independence_referendum,_1991

An independence referendum was held in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija between 26 and 30 September 1991. The Assembly of Kosovo had declared the Republic of Kosova a sovereign and independent state on 22 September 1991. Over 99% of voters voted in favour of independence, with a turnout of 87%.

[joshcryer]

25. Hmm, that referendum had a turnout minimum.

I wonder if the one in Crimea did.

[former9thward]

26. There was 89.5% turnout.

That is better than any of our elections.

[joshcryer]

27. Highest I saw was 44%

[former9thward]

28. Washington Post says 89.5%.

Are they pro-Putin propaganda now? http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/crimeans-begin-vote-on-russia-referendum/2014/03/16/ccec2132-acd4-11e3-a06a-e3230a43d6cb_print.html

[joshcryer]

30. "election officials said"

The MSM is absolutely fawning over Putin's great achievement today, as one would expect.

[former9thward]

31. Who is your source that says different?

[joshcryer]

33. here:

http://en.itar-tass.com/world/723766

Looks like that was the early tally now that I reread it.

I wouldn't believe a thing from the occupiers.

[former9thward]

37. I don't blame you.

I've never believed a word Bush or Obama said about either Iraq or Afghanistan.

[snagglepuss]

44. Please cite your source.

[former9thward]

45. I did.

Washington Post. I linked to it. Please read the thread.

[snooper2]

46. You watch a single one of the VICE dispatches I posted?

Or does honest reporting skew your worldview to the point where you get confused?

Why don't you spend 12 minutes of your life and learn something about the situation-

[former9thward]

49. Your posts are nothing but juvenile insults.

Why would I waste a second of my time watching your videos?

[snooper2]

50. I think I see where the confusion is now-

I'll start over-


In ALL the World there is one really bad-ass news organization. They are called- VICE (all caps)

They have done reporting from inside North Korea, Siberia, Columbian drug cartels, places no other news outfit would dare go-

Years ago, they setup a YouTube channel which is a medium where you can log in, post videos, and people will subscribe to your channel so when they log in an update says a new video has been posted.

I am subscribed, to, VICE-

This is THEIR video- You can tell that because at the beginning it says

VICE NEWS in a large ass font. Also, it says (VICE NEWS) in the upper right corner for copyright purposes-

Pretty cool idea!

[dembotoz]

22. republicans in wisconsin are looking to this as a template

[Proud Liberal Dem]

43. Some rich guy in California wants to break it up into six states

I don't think he was successful in collecting enough signatures for the ballot, however. I think that he thought that it would be beneficial for the Republicans but somehow I doubt it- though I wouldn't be supportive of such a plan.

[dipsydoodle]

23. 95.5% of voters in Crimea have supported joining Russia after half the votes have been counted

Some 95.5% of voters in Crimea have supported joining Russia, officials say. after half the votes have been counted in a disputed referendum.

Crimea's leader says he will apply to join Russia on Monday. Russia's Vladimir Putin has said he will respect the Crimean people's wishes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26606097

[Cali_Democrat]

24. LOL

[AverageJoe90]

29. This smells *really* bad.

95% turnout? That, that just doesn't make sense. At all.

[former9thward]

47. It only smells bad when compared to the U.S.

It was not 95% turnout, it was 89.5%. That type of turnout is common in countries around the world. We have lousy turn out because people are lazy and are constantly told politicians are "crooks and evil". Why would anyone go out and vote if everyone is a "crook"?

[AverageJoe90]

51. Sorry, but I'm not buying that for one second.

That type of turnout is common in most countries? Really? Got any proof? There's a lot of countries in which turnout numbers are played with to ensure a favored outcome.....Putin's done that himself, btw.

[former9thward]

52. Proof? Sure.

The U.S. is dead last. The cut and paste did not go well but you can go to the link.

Turnout in national lower house elections, 1960–1995
Country Compulsory № Turnout
Malta N 6 94%
Chile Y 2 93%†
Austria N 9 92%
Belgium Y 12 91%
Italy N**** 9 90%
Luxembourg Y 7 90%
Iceland N 10 89%
New Zealand N 12 88%
Denmark N 14 87%
Germany N 9 86%
Sweden N 14 86%
Greece Y (not enforced) 10 86%
Venezuela N* 7 85%
Czech Republic and Slovakia N 6 85%
Argentina Y 12 83%
Brazil Y 9 83%
Netherlands N** 7 83%
Australia Y 19 81%
Costa Rica N 8 81%
Norway N 9 81%
Romania N 2 81%
Bulgaria N 2 80%
Israel N 9 80%
Portugal N 9 79%
Finland N 10 78%
France N 9 76%
United Kingdom N 9 76%
South Korea N 11 75%
Ireland N 11 74%
Canada N 12 74%
Spain N 6 73%
Japan N 12 71%
Poland N 7 71%
Estonia N 2 69%
Hungary N 6 66%
Russia N 2 61%
Pakistan N 6 51%
India N 6 58%
Switzerland N 8 54%
United States N 18 48%***




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout

[Proud Liberal Dem]

41. Pretty easy to get the outcome you want

when you have troops in the field

[snooper2]

48. Oh, and they had "independent observers" LOL

"Who, us? No, we didn't see a single person with a gun! Nowhere! We have been everywhere!"

Simon-

"Sure, right, you fucking tool"----

(10:05 in the video if you don't want to watch the whole thing, which everyone should)