Ukraine's Presidential Elections
 

Opposition Calls for Strike in Ukraine

By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Opposition leaders called Wednesday for a nationwide strike to shut down factories, schools and transportation after officials declared Ukraine's pro-Kremlin prime minister the winner of a presidential runoff election that many countries denounced as rigged.

The call by reformist candidate Viktor Yushchenko and his allies for an "all-Ukrainian political strike" risked provoking a crackdown by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma's government, which has said the opposition's actions in the aftermath of Sunday's bitterly disputed runoff were, in effect, preparations for a coup d'etat.

A strike could also further divide the country: Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych drew his support from the pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half of the country, while Yushchenko's strength was in the west, a traditional center of Ukrainian nationalism.

The rest of this article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ne_elections_8

Yeah so the cold war's back on apparently. Remember the good old days when Putin and Bush chopped wood together? Anyway, this is what needs to happens. Seperate power in the Ukraine into a few States/Republics/whatever. That way the Eastern part could have its way in the East, the Western part would have its way in the West, and we don't start the third world war. Does Turkey still have those nukes pointed at Moscow?

Ukrainian High Court Hearing Vote Appeal
 

By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine's Supreme Court gave the political opposition some breathing room Thursday, ruling that the results of a presidential election are not official until it hears an appeal from a Western-leaning candidate who says it was stolen from him.

But there were no indications that opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko's call for a national strike was taking hold, and it was unclear whether the high court even has the right to annul the vote count that gave victory to the Kremlin-backed candidate, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

The rest of this article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...aine_elections

A girl at my work is Ukraian. I'd bang her.

Your post is useless without pictures.

Momentum Builds for New Vote in Ukraine
 

By ANNA MELNICHUK, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - President Leonid Kuchma called on opposition demonstrators to end their four-day blockade of government buildings Sunday, saying compromise was needed to solve the political crisis that has engulfed Ukraine since its disputed presidential vote.

Representatives of the rival presidential candidates prepared to meet at the negotiating table again Sunday, a day after the opposition's hopes for a new vote got a boost from national lawmakers, who called the election invalid.

The rest of this article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...aine_elections

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Between Ukraine's parliament making their (non-binding) declaration, and President Kuchma's call for new elections, there is hope for a legitimate result and for no bloody civil war.

I agree, pics please.

Tonights Rally for Viktor Yushchenko
 

no pix availible. Is married to ex navy seal. Plus I was pretty wasted when I said that.


back on topic:
I'm glad we live in a country where elections aren't stymied by the judical process with candidates having lawyers and um...uh....IRONY! IRONY!

DId you see Charlie Rose Friday night? An author was talking about how by most counting methods, Al Gore would have won in 2000. BUT, the method that the Gore campaign wanted to use would have resulted in a Bush victory. This means that if the courts went along with Gore, Bush would still have been president.

Moving back to Ukraine, this issue is very important. If the former Warsaw Pact nations, and CIS nations are to move forward and stabilize, they need to become democratic. This has huge implications for American security, as well global stability.

Ukraine Rivals Reach Compromise Deal
 

By ALEKSANDAR VASOVIC, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko signed a deal Wednesday that obliged his supporters to lift their siege of government buildings, but he said his followers will stay on the streets until an agreement is reached on a new vote for the country's presidency.

Yushchenko held face-to-face talks with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych — his rival for the presidency — hours after the opposition showed its strength by bringing down Yanukovych's government with a no-confidence in parliament.

After the talks, Yushchenko proposed that a new run-off vote between him and Yanukovych be held Dec. 19. Speaking to his supporters in the street, he said he would not accept a whole new election — an idea suggested earlier by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma — and urged his backers not to give up their massive demonstrations.

"Protests in the streets will, of course, continue," Yushchenko said after the talks at the Mariinskly Palace presidential residence. "They would be lifted only after a date is set for a new election and changes introduced into the election law."

The rest of the article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...raine_election

Ukraine High Court Calls for New Election
 

By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - The Supreme Court declared the results of Ukraine's disputed presidential run-off election invalid and ruled Friday that the run-off should be repeated by Dec. 26, bringing cheers from tens of thousands of opposition supported massed in Kiev's main square.

The ruling, made after five days of hearings by the court's 18 justices, was a major victory for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who had rejected the government's demands that an entirely new election be held.

The opposition had pinned its hopes on the court's ruling in its bid to overturn the results of the Nov. 21 run-off vote in which Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner. The opposition said the vote was rigged to cheat Yushchenko of victory.

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma had been pressing for an entirely new election, apparently in hopes of replacing Yanukovych with a stronger candidate.

The rest of this article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ne_election_10

Ukraine Opposition Suffers Setback
 

By ANNA MELNICHUK, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Supporters of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko lost a round to their foes in parliament Saturday, when pro-government lawmakers helped block legal changes intended to prevent fraud in the Dec. 26 repeat of the country's presidential runoff vote.

Buoyed by a momentous Supreme Court ruling a day earlier that ordered the new vote, Yushchenko's supporters vowed to force parliament to adopt the legislation by continuing their marathon protest in Kiev's central square.

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma tried to bring European pressure on the opposition, which he accused of reneging on its promises. Kuchma called for a new round of European-mediated talks with the opposition on Monday.

The jockeying for position came as the opposition celebrated its court victory, confident Yushchenko can beat Prime Minster Viktor Yanukovych if a fair runoff is held. Yanukovych, Kuchma's ally, confirmed he would compete in the new vote, and the Central Election Commission formally set a Dec. 26 date for the balloting, as ordered by the court.

Yushchenko had been hoping for quick approval of a raft of bills that would amend election laws and reshuffle the election commission, which the opposition accused of covering up fraud in the initial runoff, held Nov. 21. The opposition says the changes are needed to ensure the new vote is fair.

The rest of the article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ine_election_3

Activists Steadfast on Ukraine Vote Reform
 

By ALEKSANDAR VASOVIC, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Supporters of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko kept up their siege of government buildings Sunday, determined to push through election law changes designed to ensure a fair vote in Ukraine's new presidential runoff even after pro-government lawmakers blocked the amendments.

Yushchenko's fiery ally, lawmaker Yuliya Tymoshenko, warned that the opposition must not assume the repeat vote will be free and fair. But she insisted Yushchenko will prevail against Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who is backed by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites).

"We are confident of a colossal victory by Yushchenko," she told journalists, adding that fewer officials are now willing to falsify the vote. "Something has changed, thanks to the people," Tymoshenko said.

Thousands of orange-clad protesters — many grimy after living for two weeks in the opposition's sprawling tent camp on a Kiev main street — have vowed to remain until the election laws are passed. Protesters on Sunday also filled out questionnaires in the camps to sign up as polling station monitors.

The rest of the article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...raine_election

Ukraine Opposition Leader Opens Campaign
 

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko kicked off campaigning for the Dec. 26 presidential election rerun Sunday with a call for quick passage of anti-fraud legislation. Supporters signed up by the thousands to monitor balloting and ensure a fair vote. _

"We are witnessing a struggle between forces of good and forces of evil," Yushchenko told throngs of chanting supporters gathered at Kiev's main square and waving his campaign's orange flags.

"The entire world is applauding our victory. The entire world is proud of Ukraine."

While thousands of pro-Yushchenko demonstrators marked two weeks of a round-the-clock vigil in downtown Kiev, supporters of his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, were largely out of sight in eastern regions near Russia — Yanukovych's stronghold.

The Moscow-backed Yanukovych has not been seen in public since Friday's Supreme Court ruling canceling his Nov. 21 runoff victory over Yushchenko because of fraud. On Sunday, campaign representatives did not answer repeated phone calls.

The rest of the article is here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ine_election_2

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I find that "We are witnessing a struggle between forces of good and forces of evil" statement to be a bit extreme. I support Yushchenko (for whatever that's worth,) but if he should win, this is one country that will need someone to reunify it. Such statements don't offer that kind of hope.