Ukraine gripped by vote stand-off

BBC ^ | November 22, 2004 | BBC

[KOZ.]

Thousands of Ukrainians have thronged major cities to protest against an election result they consider flawed. Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko told supporters to stage a civil disobedience campaign.

The western city of Lviv has declared Mr Yushchenko the new president - defying the authorities, who say Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won.

The senior US election observer in Ukraine, Senator Richard Lugar, alleged "concerted and forceful" fraud.

Observers for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Sunday's run-off vote fell far short of European democratic norms.

Mr Yushchenko, seen as the pro-Western candidate, told thousands of people who braved sub-zero temperatures in the capital, Kiev, not to leave the rally "until victory".

"We are launching an organised movement of civil resistance," he said, denouncing what he called the "total falsification" of the vote which followed days of acrimonious wrangling over the results of the first round.

'Media bias'

In Lviv, too, thousands of people turned onto the streets, while the city council said it would only take orders from Mr Yushchenko.

With nearly all the votes counted, the authorities say Prime Minister Yanukovych has a narrow lead.

On a count of 99% of the vote, Mr Yanukovych had 49.4% while Mr Yushchenko was on 46.7%, according to the central electoral commission.

But the opposition says it has recorded many thousands of irregularities - including very high turnouts in government strongholds.

Mr Yanukovych was backed by incumbent President Leonid Kuchma and the Russian authorities.

Exit polls earlier suggested that Mr Yushchenko had been on course for victory with a lead of at least six percentage points.

"The second round did not meet a considerable number of [international] commitments for democratic elections," said Bruce George, head of the OSCE mission in Kiev.

He told a news conference that the Ukrainian authorities "did not respond positively" to election monitors' appeals to put right problems encountered in the first round.

"The abuse of state resources in favour of the prime minister continued, as well as an overwhelming media bias in his favour," Mr George said.

'Total fraud'

Mr Yushchenko's supporters say they do not believe the official turnout figure of 96% in eastern Ukraine.

"I believe in my victory but the government... has staged total fraud in the elections in the [eastern] Donetsk and Lugansk regions," Mr Yushchenko said.

In the first round, the mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions showed strong support for Mr Yanukovych - a former governor of Donetsk.

The election was dogged by tension and abuse claims Kiev is on high alert, with extra police and soldiers on the streets.

The central electoral commission is being guarded by at least four water cannon and two armoured personnel carriers.

During the campaign, Mr Yushchenko, prime minister between 1999 and 2001, claimed to have been the victim of intimidation and dirty tricks, including an alleged poisoning attempt.

His critics portray him as an American puppet who will do anything to gain power, including inciting civil unrest.

Turnout was at 79% despite plummeting temperatures, election officials said earlier.

The OSCE said there were "serious violations" in Sunday's voting, including intimidation of observers and voters.

The authorities are investigating the killing of a policeman who was guarding ballot papers in a village in central Ukraine. The motive for the killing is not known.

[KOZ.]

Here is a background of the two candidates....

Viktor Yanukovych: Aged 54 Imprisoned twice in his youth Former governor of industrial Donetsk region Raised pensions and public sector pay before election Would make Russian second official language and allow dual citizenship

Viktor Yushchenko: Aged 50 An economist and former central banker Has an American wife Promises to fight corruption, create five million jobs and pursue free market reforms Would seek deeper relations with Europe and the West

[OK]

Viktor Yanukovych was in prison for rape and theft.

[Verginius Rufus]

Has Jesse Jackson or David Boies shown up yet?

[KOZ.]

yanukovich is about bringing russia back into ukraine's life. it'll be very dangerous if he wins, it'll be bad for ukraine, and the world. the word 'on the street' in ukraine is pretty scary. talk of civil war etc over this election.

[uke]

Let's hope the peoples' will is properly represented and the corruptness of the Kuchma/Yanukovich regime is purged!

[TapTheSource]

Yanukovych: Another “former” Communist party member who “wins” a landslide victory. Read the following and then take a look at the original post above...guess which country was the first to recognize Yanukovych’s victory?

---

Excerpts from the Jamestown Foundation’s expose on Yanukovych entitled “YANUKOVYCH TRIES TO CLEAN UP HIS IMAGE”:


...Yanukovych was sentenced to three years imprisonment, from 1967 to1970, for theft. But he was released early. He was again imprisoned from 1970 to 1972 for violence. In 1978, the Donetsk oblast court annulled both convictions. Hanna Herman, Yanukovych's new press spokeswoman, complained that, "Someone is very eager to discredit the leading aspirant to the top post in our state" (Ukrayinska Pravda, May 13). President Kuchma added that it is, "a bit laughable when this factor is used" (Ukrayinska Pravda, April 28). A Cabinet of Ministers press release, dated May 13, also linked the public airing of Yanukovych's prison terms to the election campaign...

...Not surprisingly, the opposition has raised the issue. Our Ukraine Deputy Mykola Tomenko posed a question in Parliament to Interior Minister Mykola Bilokin, in which he asked for details relating to both convictions. Answering the question has proven difficult for Bilokin, as the original documents in Donetsk oblast courts pertaining to Yanukovych between 1960 and 1970 have disappeared. A similar cleansing of official documents pertaining to the past of Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the presidential administration, took place after the publication in 2001 of an unflattering biography entitled Narcissist by Our Ukraine Deputy Dmytro Chobit...

...Oleksandr Kondratyev, chairman of the Donetsk appeals court, attempted to clear up Yanukovych's criminal background at a news conference during which he outlined the convictions. Kondrateyev explained how former cosmonaut and USSR Supreme Soviet Deputy Georgiy Beregoviy interceded on Yanukovych's behalf to help overturn both convictions (Interfax-Ukraine, May 26). After the press conference, Donetsk media publicised a claim that the 1978 overturning of the two convictions was legitimate as Yanukovych had been charged on "false testimony" (Ukrayina TV, May 26). It was offered as further proof of his innocence that Yanukovych was permitted to join the Communist Party in 1970...

...In 1973, Medvedchuk was also sentenced to two years imprisonment for violence. But he, like Yanukovych, did not serve his full sentence. Quashing of Medvedchuk's conviction may have been based on an illicitly taped conversion by presidential guard Mykola Melnychenko. On the recording, Kuchma is told by then-Chairman of the Security Service Leonid Derkach that Medvedchuk and his long-time oligarch ally, Grygoriy Surkis, had been KGB agents (New York Times, December 19, 2003)....

Link:

http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=401&issue_id=2970&article_id=236789

[FrankRepublican]

Yushchenko appears to be a pretty good guy. He was also a very young and good looking 50 year old. Supposedly, the KGB kidnapped him and injected something in him.

Whatever it was it wrecked his face. He look liked a good looking boyish 40's, can do guy and after he looked like a ruddy faced drunk in his late 50s. Really bizarre. Sort of like a reverse botox that Kerry got.

A real shame. The Ukrainians deserve a break. The 54 year old criminal Viktor is supposedly a KGB/Kremlim puppet.

[struwwelpeter]

Here's part of a letter from a friend in Kyiv, from November 17th:

...nas seychas predvybornaya bol'ba nakalen. Narod neehlektrizovan, t.k. vlast' vybory sfabrikovala, postaviv server v administratsii prezidenta i ottuda upravlyala TsVK. Predstavlyaesh'? Strana skazochnykh geroev.

"...the pre-election fight has heated up. The people are not electrified, since the government has fabricated the elections, after placing the server in the president's administration and from there they govern the TsVK (??). Can you imagine? A nation of fairytale heroes."

I'm not sure what it means, but I think TsVK may be the central election commission (or committee).

[MTOrlando]

Yanukovych: Another “former” Communist party member who “wins” a landslide victory. Read the following and then take a look at the original post above...guess which country was the first to recognize Yanukovych’s victory?

What does it matter? According to you and Golitsyn's theories, Yushchenko is merely "controlled opposition" and another closet Communist puppet, right? All this talk about civil unrest is merely a smokescreen to camouflage the fact that both Yanukovych and Yushchenko are Communists who take orders from the Kremlin.

[TapTheSource]

"All this talk about civil unrest is merely a smokescreen to camouflage the fact that both Yanukovych and Yushchenko are Communists who take orders from the Kremlin."

Too much for most people to swallow MTOrlando. Better to leave the training wheels on until they start learning to ride on their own. BTW, I have never maintained that in EVERY INSTANCE opposition leaders are controlled. However, I do maintain that those who are not controlled, or who deviate from the party line, are usually jailed, murdered, or exiled.

[Grzegorz 246]

I send an application to become an observer during these elections, but unfortunately they didn't take me.

[Grzegorz 246]

"but I think TsVK may be the central election commission (or committee)."

Probably you are right.

It's a shame that US government and generally "the West" don't react strongly.
rasPutin is doing whatever he want.

[TapTheSource]

"...the pre-election fight has heated up. The people are not electrified, since the government has fabricated the elections, after placing the server in the president's administration and from there they govern the TsVK (??). Can you imagine? A nation of fairytale heroes."

I'm not sure what it means, but I think TsVK may be the central election commission (or committee).

---

Sounds like it is possible your friend is hinting that both sides of the election was rigged. Perhaps you should email him back and ask for clarification.

[AdmSmith]

Yes, TsVK = Central Election Commission

[FreeReign]

Mr Yushchenko's supporters say they do not believe the official turnout figure of 96% in eastern Ukraine.

Philly and Donets'ka both.

[FreeReign]

However, I do maintain that those who are not controlled, or who deviate from the party line, are usually jailed, murdered, or exiled.

Don't forget poisoned.

[FreeReign]

It's a shame that US government and generally "the West" don't react strongly. rasPutin is doing whatever he want.

We're more concerned about their cooperation in the WOT then we are about freedom in that part of the world. Some Freepers...too.

[eluminate]

Look at map below divide in half upon the river dniepr until you reach Kryvyy Rih from there draw a parallel line that hits moldova and you get 2 parts the left one voted for Yuschenko with about 90percent to 3% and the right one with about 90 percent to 2%
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/up.html
I tried to find the map but couldnt on any news it was on news on cable when they showed they the votes were distributed.

several things. one Soros's foundation ofcourse endorses Yuschenko two all the exit polls were done in the west none were done in the east or south. How could you get a 11% victory margin with an exit poll and have it be half a point in the race? Three the denomination of the Russian speakin populous is 18 mil ukranian speaking 16 mil they broke almost unanimously for their own candidates who is the likely winner?

Liberal reformer is a good way to describe him he wants to re-nationalize all the privatization done in the 90's to redivide the pie all over again. And force school reform to screw up the only good thing that is working. Make all schools teach in Ukranian only... any of you remember watching the protests in Latvia/Estonia about this ?

You could guess whom I wanted to win and it wasn't Yuschenko, a fellon is a better alternative then a nationalist with liberal tendencies. Oh and the cries to storm the reichstag I mean parlament doesn't that remind you of something?

[MTOrlando]

After reading more on this situation, I'm not sure about Yuschenko. I doubt he can be the "pro-Western" and "pro-freedom" candidate the media makes him out to be, if the Germans are on his side.

``There are well-founded doubts about the official results,'' said German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in a statement today. ``The political will of the Ukrainian people has to be reflected in the election result. We call upon the Ukrainian government to review, together with the OSCE, both the electoral process and the count to make the necessary corrections.''

This Bloomberg article is pretty detailed.

[eluminate]

enclave? are they insane... over half ukraine is russian speaking they celebrated in Chernigov yesterday and other parts as well. Nothing on the news ofcourse. They are going to get smacked if they storm the parliament or the central election building. Trust me there is a huge division in Ukraine east & south vs west for one they former speak russian mostly while the west is ukranian mostly. Also ties to poland & hungary are more pronounced there as well as catholicism. Them driving people in to protest in Kiev is one thing but forcing something would be another. There are two divisions stationed in Kiev and they realize if they go to storm something they might get slapped.