4 ms·

Ukraine is in no way a functioning democracy.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
koonsolo 3y ago
Their elections were democratic (if not, please provide some evidence). And secondly, they were well on their way to keep improving and follow the path of the other ex-soviet states that are now part of the EU.
- atdrummond 3y ago
  As someone who has spent many months in Ukraine since the late 2000s, even the last election was not what I would call “democratic” even if I think the truly preferred candidate won. You would be shocked at how often votes are outright bought by candidates and their supporters and how much strong arming is done to ensure certain areas vote for a specific party. This doesn’t mean I support Russia - I live in a border country (Estonia) myself. [1] https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/20/exhibition-highlights-vote-buying-in-ukraine-as-country-goes-to-polls https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/20/exhibition-highlights-vo... [2] https://www.kyivpost.com/post/10219 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/10219
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Compared to Russia however they are a model of democracy, and that is one of the reasons this invasion happened in the first place. The last thing Putin wants on his doorstep is a country that is very much like Russia in some respects and yet one that can function as a (even if somewhat flawed) democracy.
thatwasunusual 3y ago
They're not perfect, for sure, but I highly doubt they will become more democratic if Russia wins the war.
megapolitics 3y ago
It’s a flawed democracy, but it’s on a consistent upward trajectory.
- ben_w 3y ago
  Unfortunately not, they're mostly on a downward trend (I'm sure the war and Russian interference doesn't help, but it is what it is). Still better now (5.42) than Russia today (2.28) or even back in 2006 (Russia was 5.02, though back then Ukraine was 6.94). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

Their elections were democratic (if not, please provide some evidence). And secondly, they were well on their way to keep improving and follow the path of the other ex-soviet states that are now part of the EU.

atdrummond 3y ago
As someone who has spent many months in Ukraine since the late 2000s, even the last election was not what I would call “democratic” even if I think the truly preferred candidate won. You would be shocked at how often votes are outright bought by candidates and their supporters and how much strong arming is done to ensure certain areas vote for a specific party. This doesn’t mean I support Russia - I live in a border country (Estonia) myself. [1] https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/20/exhibition-highlights-vote-buying-in-ukraine-as-country-goes-to-polls https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/20/exhibition-highlights-vo... [2] https://www.kyivpost.com/post/10219 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/10219
- jacquesm 3y ago
  Compared to Russia however they are a model of democracy, and that is one of the reasons this invasion happened in the first place. The last thing Putin wants on his doorstep is a country that is very much like Russia in some respects and yet one that can function as a (even if somewhat flawed) democracy.

thatwasunusual 3y ago

They're not perfect, for sure, but I highly doubt they will become more democratic if Russia wins the war.

megapolitics 3y ago

It’s a flawed democracy, but it’s on a consistent upward trajectory.

ben_w 3y ago
Unfortunately not, they're mostly on a downward trend (I'm sure the war and Russian interference doesn't help, but it is what it is). Still better now (5.42) than Russia today (2.28) or even back in 2006 (Russia was 5.02, though back then Ukraine was 6.94). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index