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| Thousands
of Ukrainians Refuse to Accept Election Results |
Updated:
11.29.04 | |
| Hundreds
of thousands of people in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine are protesting
the Nov. 21 presidential election after exit polls pointed to a victory for the
opposition leader, but official results handed the presidency to the authoritarian
prime minister. Printer-friendly versions: HTML
/ PDF | |
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|  Ukraine's
Supreme Court is considering whether to call for new elections following a week
of demonstrations that have tied up the capital, Kiev, and pressure from the European
Union and the United States.
The outcome of the political stalemate will
decide the direction of this Slavic nation, rich in natural resources and comparable
in size to Texas, which lies at the midpoint between Russia and Europe. The
current prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, has sided with Russian President Vladimir
Putin and favors a more centralized government, while the opposition candidate,
Viktor Yushchenko, has promised to reform the government and join trade and military
alliances with Europe and the United States. Two Viktors, but only one can be
president. | |
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| Disputed
election | |
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| The government tally
gave Prime Minister Yanukovich 49 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Yushchenko.
However,  several
surveys of voters at polling places gave the opposition as much as an 11-point
lead, according to the Associated Press. An international election observer
mission released a report declaring that the election did not meet democratic
standards. The findings included pressure on students to vote for the state's
choice; widespread abuse of absentee voters, including some who were bused from
region to region; the blocking of poll workers; suspiciously, even fantastically,
high turnouts in regions that supported the prime minister; inaccurate voter lists
and overt bias of state-financed news media. U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, who
led an American mission to urge the departing president, Leonid Kuchma, to organize
fair  elections,
said a "concerted and forceful program of election day fraud and abuse was
enacted with either the leadership or cooperation of governmental authorities."
In addition, Yushchenko alleges that twice his political enemies tried
to kill him and that he was poisoned in September. Indeed, his once photogenic
face is now scarred by a mysterious illness. His detractors said he must have
eaten some bad sushi. | |
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| History
of independence and submission | |
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| Ukrainians
have long walked a thin line between independent nationalism and submission to
a larger entity. Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus,
the largest and most powerful state in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries.
When it was later incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the cultural
and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism
through subsequent eras.  Ukrainians
overthrew Polish rule during the mid-17th century and managed to remain autonomous
for well over 100 years. However, the Russian Empire absorbed most Ukrainian territory
in the late 18th century.
Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Ukraine
enjoyed a short-lived period of independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered
and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial, or man-made,
famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died, according to the CIA
Factbook. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for
some 7 million to 8 million more deaths. Following the dissolution of the USSR
in 1991, Ukraine became independent, but not truly free -- the Soviet legacy of
state control has been difficult to throw off. Most efforts to end state control
have resulted in corruption, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization
and civil liberties. | |
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| The
next five years | |
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| The
current controversy will decide the fate of Ukraine for the next five-year presidential
term. Protests have increased every day since the election. Yushchenko told
the crowd the people's will cannot be broken; the people's vote cannot be stolen.
"You are the heroes. You  are
the heroes of Ukraine," he said, "You are carrying on your shoulders
what will become -- maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next year or in many
years to come -- the future of Ukraine." Members of the European Parliament
warned that the dispute could split Ukraine into a north and west supporting Yushchenko,
and a bloc in the east supporting the prime minister. Officials in the
eastern regions, where many residents speak Russian and share cultural and economic
ties to Moscow, are threatening to break away if the election is overturned. Meanwhile,
Yushchenko supporters have dug in for the long haul, setting up tents and passing
out blankets, foam mattresses, hats and winter coats. Posters taped to the tents
and some protesters' jackets hold a message to police: "Don't shoot!" --
Leah Clapman, Online NewsHour | |
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American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
