Ukrainian presidential election, 2004

The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. The election was held in a highly charged atmosphere, with allegations of media bias, intimidation and even a poisoning of Yushchenko that was later confirmed to be the result of the poison dioxin.

International influence and reaction

Many commentators saw the elections as being influenced by outside powers, notably the United States, the European Union and Russia, with the US backing Yushchenko (sending former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Senator John McCain to visit with Yushchenko), and Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly backing Yanukovych. In the media the two candidates were contrasted, with Yushchenko representing both the pro-Western Kiev residents as well as the rural Ukrainians, whereas Yanukovych represents the Eastern, pro-Russian industrial laborers.

Related Topics:
United States - European Union - Russia - Secretary of State - Henry Kissinger - National Security Advisor - Zbigniew Brzezinski - Senator - John McCain - Vladimir Putin - Media - Kiev

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More specifically it was believed that a Yushchenko victory would represent a halt of Ukraine's integration with the rest of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and possibly a cancellation of the Common Economic Space between Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan that had already been agreed to by the Ukrainian parliament; he would instead be likely to increase attempts at further integration with Europe and a possible membership in the EU and NATO. On the other hand Yanukovych had already promised to make Russian an official language for Ukraine, as is already the case in fellow CIS member states Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Related Topics:
Commonwealth of Independent States - Common Economic Space - Belarus - Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan

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Russia and the CIS

President Vladimir Putin had twice visited Ukraine before the election to show his support for Yanukovych and congratulated him on his victory before official election results. CIS election observers praised the second round of the elections as "legitimate and of a nature that reflected democratic standards", a view in direct contradiction to other monitoring organizations such as the ENEMO, the Civic Voters Committee in Ukraine and the IEOM. http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=401&issue_id=3151&article_id=2368899

Related Topics:
Vladimir Putin - CIS election observers - ENEMO - Civic Voters Committee in Ukraine - IEOM

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Prominent hardliners in Russia cast the election as opposition to renewed Western imperialism. Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, for example, blames the West for interfering in the situation in Ukraine in the run-up to the October 31 presidential election:

Related Topics:
Russian Communist Party - Gennady Zyuganov - October 31

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:"I have been in Kiev for a third day and I see for myself that the numerous actions of local opposition bear the earmarks of those groups that at different times tried to destabilize Prague, Budapest and Bucharest - the earmarks of U.S. special services." http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=10715524

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On November 28, Yuri Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow, gave a speech denouncing the Ukrainian opposition, calling its members a "sabbath of witches" pretending to "represent the whole of the nation" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/28/international/europe/28cnd-ukraine.html?ex=1102309200&en=ff2c4369fabe9ed3&ei=5040&partner=MOREOVER. Russian newspapers have printed increasingly shrill warnings, with the Communist party paper Pravda claiming: "Nato troops in Hungary and Poland are preparing to move, and Romanian and Slovakian military units have been put on alert. Ukrainian towns are in their sights."

Related Topics:
November 28 - Yuri Luzhkov - Pravda

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Several other CIS countries lined up with Russia in supporting Yanukovych. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko phoned Yanukovych to offer his own congratulations before the results had been officially declared. Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev wrote to Yanukovych that "Your victory shows that the Ukrainian people have made a choice in favour of the unity of the nation, of democratic development and economic progress." The presidents of Kyrgyzstan (Askar Akayev) and of Uzbekistan (Islam Karimov) likewise sent their congratulations. However, later Karimov criticized Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian election, saying that "Russia?s excessive demonstration of its willingness to see a certain outcome in the vote has done more harm than good." http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/12/02/karimov.shtml

Related Topics:
CIS - Belarus - Alexander Lukashenko - Kazakhstan - Nursultan Nazarbayev - Kyrgyzstan - Askar Akayev - Uzbekistan - Islam Karimov

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In contrast, the Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili indicated his support for the supporters of Yushchenko, saying that "What is happening in Ukraine today clearly attests to the importance of Georgia's example for the rest of the world" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4047661.stm. This was a reference to the Rose Revolution of late 2003. Indeed, Georgians have been highly visible in the demonstrations in Kiev and the flag of Georgia has been among those on display in the city's Independence Square, while Yushchenko himself held up a rose in a seeming reference to the Rose Revolution.

Related Topics:
Georgian - Mikhail Saakashvili - Rose Revolution - 2003 - Flag of Georgia

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Armenia and Azerbaijan kept more neutral positions, supporting neither side but both stressing the need for Ukrainian unity.

Related Topics:
Armenia - Azerbaijan

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On December 2, one day before the Supreme Court decided in favour of repeating the runoff election, President Kuchma visited Moscow to discuss the crisis with Vladimir Putin. Putin supported Kuchma's position of desiring wholly new elections, rather than just a repeat of the second round.

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European Union

The EU has made it clear that they would not recognize the results of the election. All 25 member countries of the EU have summoned their ambassadors from Ukraine in order to register a sharp protest against what is seen as election fraud.

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The European Union has disputed the election process in Ukraine, with European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso warning of consequences if there is no review of the election. During a meeting between Putin and EU officials in the Hague, the Russian president opposed the EU reaction by saying that he was "deeply convinced that we have no moral right to push a big European state to any kind of massive disorder."

Related Topics:
European Union - European Commission - President - José Manuel Durão Barroso - The Hague

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Among EU member states, Ukraine's western neighbours were most concerned. In Poland, Ukraine's largest western neighbour, politicians, the media and ordinary citizens enthusiastically supported Yushchenko and opposed the election fraud. Polish deputies to the European Parliament have called for giving Ukraine the prospect of future EU membership provided the country obeyed democratic standards. Western EU members are however more reluctant with the idea of Ukrainian membership in the EU, which results in Polish media accusing them of being more interested in the integration process with Turkey and maintaining good relations with Russia.

Related Topics:
Poland - Media - European Parliament - Turkey

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On November 25, former Ukrainian foreign minister and a close collaborator of Yushchenko, Borys Tarasyuk delivered a speech before the Polish Sejm, urging Poland not to recognize the election result and help solve the political crisis. On the same day former Polish President Lech Wa??sa went to Kiev to publicly express his support for a democratic Ukraine. He was later followed by a number of Polish MPs from different parties.

Related Topics:
November 25 - Borys Tarasyuk - Sejm - Lech Wa??sa

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United States

The United States government has also decided not to recognize the election, and has expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation—the outgoing US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, quite unequivocally stated that the result announced could not be accepted as legitimate by the United States. President George W. Bush and various members of Congress have also made statements disclosing their concern over the legitimacy of the polling. Prominent former Cold War hawk Zbigniew Brzezinski casts the election as an opposition to renewed Russian imperialism:

Related Topics:
United States government - US Secretary of State - Colin Powell - United States - President - George W. Bush - Congress - Cold War - Zbigniew Brzezinski - Russian imperialism

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:"Russia is more likely to make a break with its imperial past if the newly independent post-Soviet states are vital and stable. Their vitality will temper any residual Russian imperial temptations. Political and economic support for the new states must be an integral part of a broader strategy for integrating Russia into a cooperative transcontinental system. A sovereign Ukraine is a critically important component of such a policy, as is support for such strategically pivotal states as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan."'

Related Topics:
Sovereign - Azerbaijan - Uzbekistan

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U.S. Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton jointly wrote a letter to nominate him along with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Related Topics:
John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Mikhail Saakashvili - Nobel Peace Prize

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