KIEV, Nov. 2 - Kharkiv’s controversial mayoral election vote count - slow from the start - ground to a halt on Tuesday, following the crash of a main computer holding crucial election data.
Shortly afterwards, Kharkiv Governor Mykhaylo Dobkin declared the name of the alleged winner: Henadiy Kernes, incumbent city mayor and his closest and friend and ally.
The surprise announcement comes after two exit polls on Sunday predicted the victory of opposition figure Arsen Avakov, who had apparently defeated Kernes by at least 4 percentage points.
“Without any irony I ask Mr. Avakov to direct all his knowledge, experience and skills towards creating,” Dobkin said. “I don’t ask him to join the coalition - it’s impossible as we have different ideologies - but I call on him to cooperate as an opposition.”
Dobkin said that 130,331 voters had cast their ballots in favor of Kernes, while Avakov had received support from 127,605 voters. The difference is 2,726 ballots.
The data could not be independently verified because the Kharkiv city election commission had stopped releasing regular vote counting updates Tuesday afternoon after counting less than half the ballots in the city.
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