Desperate Ukrainians went to surreal extremes on Sep. 30 in apparent attempts to influence a fiercely contested parliamentary election that has split the country. But it was unlikely the kidnappings, ballot box smashing or hit-and-run vote-stuffing would affect the poll, in which allies of the Western-leaning president are neck and neck with those of his Moscow-backed prime minister.
Two men in black drove a black Mercedes to a polling station in the southern region of Crimea and forced two election officials into their car, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
They drove them to the edge of the town, "told them to behave themselves in a democratic manner and let them go," a police source told the news agency. The motive for the kidnapping was unclear.
PHOTO: EPA
Meanwhile, in an unfortunate attempt to make his vote count, a man wanted for mugging in the Cherkassy region in central Ukraine went to the local police station to get a passport so he could cast a ballot, Interfax reported.
He was swiftly arrested.
Others decided to bypass the legal niceties and take direct action.
A woman in nearby Kirovgrad region grabbed a handful of ballots and stuffed them into a ballot box before running out of the station, Interfax reported.
And in the southern region of Crimea, a drunk arrived at a polling station and smashed a ballot box with his foot, a local official said, although it was unclear if he was hoping to affect the tallies.
"We are investigating if he did it on purpose or it was an accident," RIA Novosti quoted a police spokeswoman as saying.(AFP)
九月三十日，絕望的烏克蘭人採取荒誕不經的極端手段，試圖影響競爭激烈並導致國家分裂的國會大選。不過，無論綁架、搗毀選票箱，或是打帶跑作票策略，都不太可能影響大選的結果，親西方的總統陣營與莫斯科支持的首相陣營選情難分軒輊。
「俄羅斯國際新聞通訊社」報導，兩名黑衣人開著一輛黑色的賓士轎車來到烏克蘭南邊的克里米亞區的一間投票所，強行將兩位選務人員帶上車。
黑衣人將他們帶到城郊，「告訴他們要以民主的態度守規矩，然後放他們走，」警方告訴該新聞社。黑衣人綁架兩人的動機不明。
國際文傳電訊社報導，在同一時間，有一名在烏克蘭中部的車卡瑟地區行兇搶劫而遭警方通緝的男子，闖入當地的警察局搶奪護照好去投票。
這名男子立即被逮捕。
另外有些人決定繞過法律程序，直接採取行動。
國際文傳電訊社報導，附近的基洛夫格勒區有一名女子搶了一把選票，將選票塞進選票箱後，便逃出投票所。
此外，地方官員說，在克里米亞區有一名醉漢來到投票所，並用腳踢毀了一個選票箱，但並不清楚他是否想影響計票結果。
俄羅斯國際新聞通訊社引述警方發言人的話說：「我們正在調查他是故意這麼做，還是純屬意外事件。」
（法新社／翻譯：楊鴻泰）
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