Pro-Western Parties, Not Darth Vader, Set to Win Ukrainian Elections
The Commander of Evil Empire was turned away from polls.
— -- Ukrainians went to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament that was expected to be dominated by pro-Western parties, but not everyone was able to vote.
Pulling up to the polling station atop a black van, blasting the "Imperial March" theme from the "Star Wars" movies, a former electrician who now goes by "Darth Vader" was turned away from a polling station for refusing to take off his helmet so that his identity could be verified against his passport photo.
"The fact that I did not vote doesn't mean that my empire will not win." declared the parliamentary candidate of the Internet Party of Ukraine.
His campaign promise was to bring more transparency to the Ukrainian legislature, vowing to replace deputies by computers.
Vader couldn't comply with the polling station's request because he "would die if he took his helmet off" Vladislav Savchuk, one of Vader's campaign managers, told ABC News.
In April, Vader was barred from standing in the country's presidential elections saying his application was questionable.
Other Ukrainians were also unable to vote. No polling stations were open in the eastern parts of the country where armed pro-Russia separatist rebels are still clashing with Ukrainian authorities, or in the Crimean Peninsula which was annexed by Russia in March.
Of the 36 million people registered to vote, 40 percent had reportedly gone to the polls by 4 p.m. local time, according to the central electoral commission, with four hours remaining until polls closed.
Two exit polls indicated that pro-Western parties would win the election, though the party of billionaire President Petro Poroshenko fell short of an outright majority.
If those results hold, the election would further anchor Ukraine's pro-Europe turn since the ouster of pro-Russia president Viktor Yanukovich after protests in February.
More than 3,500 people have died since mid-April in clashes between pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainian forces in the country's eastern region, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.