Kherson Region Official Says Voter Turnout Over 15% During First Day Of Referendum

The turnout at the end of the first day of voting at the referendum in the Kherson region is at 15.31% of the overall voters registered, the head of the region's election commission, Marina Zakharova, said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2022) The turnout at the end of the first day of voting at the referendum in the Kherson region is at 15.31% of the overall voters registered, the head of the region's election commission, Marina Zakharova, said on Friday.

"At the end of the first day of voting in the referendum on the accession of the Kherson region to Russia, the turnout was 15.31% of the total voter count," Zakharova told Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, Zakharova said that the observers from the United States and France are monitoring the course of the referendum in the region.

The breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR), as well as the Russian-controlled parts of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, are holding referenda on accession to Russia from September 23-27.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support for referenda, causing a backlash from the Western countries. In particular, on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the bloc would impose new sanctions on Russia's leadership and people involved in organizing referenda and would not recognize the results of the voting.

The DPR and LPR proclaimed their independence from Ukraine in 2014 after holding self-determination referenda. In February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and LPR and launched a military operation in Ukraine in response to calls for help from the two breakaway republics.