EDITORIAL: Moody Ukraine: to vote or not to vote (03/29/98)

EDITORIAL

Moody Ukraine: to vote or not to vote

Two weeks ago, we wrote about the "high-stakes elections" to Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada which involve 30 political parties and 4,259 candidates. This week, on our news pages we concentrate on gauging the mood of Ukraine's voters on the eve of the elections. The mood - judging by the man-in-the-street interviews conducted by our correspondents in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and Symferopol - is a thoroughly mixed bag.

From Kyiv we learned that the people are bombarded with political advertising, but that mood is one of apathy, disenchantment and pessimism about the chances for real change. Most said they would indeed vote, but some added that their votes would not change a thing. From Kharkiv we saw that the result of the elections could only be described as unpredictable. The good news there was that all persons interviewed said they would go out and vote, and most had a good idea for whom. In Lviv our correspondent said there was uncertainty as to whom people would vote for, but a distinct expectation that, no matter what, democrats will do best. In Symferopol the mood was ugly from the perspective of pro-independence forces. Most locals expressed strong support for Communists and blocs advocating some sort of new union with Russia and possibly other former Soviet republics.

Two weeks ago our editorial expressed hope that Ukraine's electorate will understand that it alone is responsible for making the political changes required if Ukraine is to have a promising future. But our hopes were deflated somewhat a week later when we reported on the most recent polls of this election campaign: 20 percent of those eligible to vote had not decided if they would do so and more than 32 percent of those who said they would had not yet decided for whom. With the Communist Party in the lead with 14 percent support among the electorate, followed by the Green Party with 6 percent and Rukh with 5.8, the results of the elections are anyone's guess. A great voter turnout could easily swing the elections in ways unforeseen.

Speaking a few days before the election, President Leonid Kuchma described the prospects for pro-reform parties as "gloomy." He voiced fear that many Ukrainians are apathetic about the vote, which can only benefit the Communists and other parties on the left. The president especially urged young voters to go to the polls for they are the greatest supporters of progressive policies.

So, as Ukraine's citizens go to the polls today, we can collectively hold our breath and hope for the best: that the mood of the electors will , first and foremost, move them to go out and vote, that Ukraine's young people, in particular, will opt to exercise that right. Then, perhaps, we will be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when we learn the election results.