You're reading: Foreign expert: Ukrainian opposition made a mistake by uniting before elections

Deputy Director of the American Institute in Ukraine James Jatras has said he believes that the Ukrainian opposition made a mistake by uniting their efforts before parliamentary elections in the country.

He said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday that this had not led to an increase in support for the opposition.

“If public opinion polls are correct, then the opposition made a
mistake, and this worked in favor of the Regions Party,” Jatras said.

He also said that if the opposition loses the elections, Front for
Change Party leader Arseniy Yatseniuk would be to blame for this, and
that it would be logical to raise the question regarding his
effectiveness as an opposition leader.

“If the united opposition loses, it will be his [Yatseniuk’s] defeat,” he said.

Jatras also said it was unnecessary to expect electoral fraud from pro-government forces.

“The Regions Party has no desire to rig the elections, as they already have an advantage,” he added.