95% of Crimeans Vote to Join Russia, Authorities Say

In a result that surprised few, 95% of voters in Crimea agreed that the peninsula should become a part of Russia, according to exit polls cited by officials and quoted by Russian state media. That number later jumped to 95% once half of the ballots were counted, according to Mikhail Malishev, head of the referendum committee.

Crimea, an autonomous republic currently part of the Ukraine, is home to a large ethnic Russian population. Representatives of non-Russian minorities indicated they would boycott the vote.

The ballot asked voters whether Crimea should join the Russian federation or become a more independent entity, though its pro-Kremlin leader, Sergey Aksyonov, has expressed his support for the first option. There was no option that allowed voters support the region's current arrangement as part of the Ukraine. Read more...