Ukraine Has Fradulent Elections, 'Losers' Protest In Mass

Wikipedia article
New York Times
Blogs: Europhobia, Vkhokhl, Connard (this guy was at the protests in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine), Fist Full Of Euros
Newspaper stories:Challenger (lost rigged election) reads oath of office, acts like the victor; The Western world declares that Ukraine's election was rigged.

This was the second vote for presidency. The first was a primary, in which Yushchenko was selected to be the challenger to Yanukovych (the closest thing to the incumbent), and Yushchenko lead slightly in the polls (each with nearly 40%. The rest of the votes went to 24 other potential challengers).

From Wikipedia:

In the November 21 runoff, Ukraine's electoral commission declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner. According to electoral commission data, Yanukovich had 49.42 percent of the votes cast and Yushchenko had 46.69 percent of the votes cast. Viktor Yushchenko is calling for supporters to protest "the total falsification of the vote." City councils of four major cities in Western Ukraine, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivs'k, have refused to recognize the official results and have declared that Yushchenko has won the election.
The election was held in a highly-charged atmosphere, with allegations of media bias, intimidation and even an alleged poisoning of Yushchenko. Many commentators saw the elections as being influenced by outside powers, notably the United States, the European Union and Russia, with the U.S. and EU 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 Yanukovich. In the media the two candidates are contrasted, with Yushchenko representing both the pro-Western Kiev residents as well as the rural Ukrainians, whereas Yanukovich represents the Eastern, pro-Russian industrial laborers. The United States and Europe fear that a Yanukovich win will halt the Ukraine's move toward integration with Europe (especially as regards any future accession to NATO or the EU). Russia fears that without a close relationship with Ukraine its ability to develop and prosper will be severely limited, and that the Ukraine could develop into a mildly hostile neighbor, much like the Baltic states have become since their integration into NATO and the EU. Putin has offered Ukraine an economic union and signed legislation permitting visa-less travel between the two countries in an attempt to underscore the potential relationship that would be available. Prominently anti-Soviet statesman Zbigniew Brzezinski casts the election as an opposition to renewed Russian imperialism:

"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."

The temperature in Kiev is at or below freezing, and many protestors have set up tents.

Connard got that photo, and I hope he doesn't mind me using it.

The US media that has reported this (and I am guilty of this also) have known of the story but neglected to report it, and are probably making the protests sound more dangerous than they really are (they have been quite peaceful, though tense and stressful).

The Ukraine parliament is in a meeting at the moment, and it appears that most or all Yanukovych supporters have left it.


No matter what, this does not look good. This will leave deep scars in Ukraine for decades. If Yanukovych wins, about half or more of the country will not view him as the rightful president. If Yanukovych is not considered the rightful president, then the office of president will be given little power, and the nation will have a weaken and less-centralized power structure (bad, makes Ukraine more susceptible to revolutions and revolt). If Yushchenko wins, Ukraine may be better off due both to his support and his intention to join the rest of the western world. However, there would be a precedent for protestors overturning the decision of the government, and Yushchenko would be very dependant on popular opinion. If masses of protestors put Yushchenko into power, they can take him out of power just as easily. Plus, there would be considerable distrust of the government and election system, which also makes Ukraine more prone to revolution.

If a nation is more susceptible to revolution, the actions of its government change considerably, because the government wants to prevent revolution. Often, propaganda is critical in maintaining stability, and democracy is undermined—because voters with less power can do less to harm the government.

I hope this s resolved peacefully and quickly, and that the fraudulent (or, possibly, not fraudulent) elections are blamed on a loser, rather than on the entire government. Blaming the loser will undermine future challengers, but it will help to uphold the stability of the government.