ELECTION WATCH (10/10/04)

ELECTION WATCH

Anti-Yushchenko leaflets discovered

KYIV - A group of Our Ukraine lawmakers and supporters on October 2 found some 100,000 leaflets caricaturing opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko as a promoter of U.S. interests in Ukraine, Ukrainian news agencies reported on October 4. The leaflets were discovered on the premises of the Novyi Druk printing house in Kyiv, which is reportedly co-owned by Viacheslav Pustovoitenko, son of lawmaker and former Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko. The younger Pustovoitenko reportedly was beaten in a scuffle that ensued after the discovery of the leaflets. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the alleged beating of Mr. Pustovoitenko, while Our Ukraine has filed a suit against Novyi Druk for disseminating illegal publications. Moreover, on October 2, another group of Our Ukraine deputies revealed some nine tons of anti-Yushchenko materials stored at a knitting factory in Kyiv. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Major candidates refuse TV debate

KYIV - Two leading presidential candidates, Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, have refused to take part in planned campaign debates on the national Ukrainian Television ahead of the presidential ballot on October 31, Ukrainian news agencies reported on October 4. The Yanukovych election staff announced that its candidate will take part in such a debate after he qualifies for the second round. Socialist Party leader and presidential candidate Oleksander Moroz, who agreed to take part in a draw that determined pairs of candidates for the televised debates, also withdrew on October 5. Mr. Moroz said he would prefer a debate among the four major candidates: Mr. Yushchenko, Mr. Yanukovych, Petro Symonenko and himself. "Only in such a format the debate could become not only an opportunity to demonstrate the art of oratory but also a realistic possibility to present different views and approaches regarding the resolution of state affairs to our compatriots," Mr. Moroz's press service said in a statement. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Insider stresses Kremlin's preference

MOSCOW - Gleb Pavlovskii, the director of the Effective Politics Foundation, in an interview on ORT on October 3 said that Russia openly supports Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the race for Ukrainian president because the Kremlin likes the main parts of his platform. Mr. Pavlovskii, who recently returned from Kyiv where he met with Yanukovych campaign officials, said that in the event that he is elected, Mr. Yanukovych has pledged to introduce dual Ukrainian-Russian citizenship and make Russian the second state language in Ukraine. He has also promised that Kyiv would not join NATO. "The first point means that we will have two economies, but one common business; the second point means we will have two nations, but one community," Mr. Pavlovskii commented. As for Mr. Yanukovych's pledge about NATO, Mr. Pavlovskii said it will help Ukraine preserve its military-industrial complex, which under NATO membership would be redundant. The Kremlin insider also criticized the leader of Our Ukraine and the main opposition presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, for "his efforts to engage the West in an anti-Russian game." (RFE/RL Newsline)

More dirty campaign leaflets uncovered

KYIV - The Our Ukraine parliamentary caucus on October 6 called on the Internal Affairs Ministry to investigate and report on the finding of "millions" of leaflets and posters directed against Our Ukraine leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian news agencies reported. The previous day, a group of Our Ukraine deputies revealed "tens of millions" of anti-Yushchenko leaflets in the Ekspotsentr Ukrainy storehouse in Kyiv, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported, quoting Our Ukraine lawmaker Mykhailo Kosiv. Eight Our Ukraine deputies remained in the storehouse all night to keep an eye on the stock of dirty campaign materials. Police sealed up the storehouse on October 6, UNIAN reported. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yanukovych for dual citizenship

KYIV - Ukrainian presidential candidate, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych intends to introduce dual citizenship if he is elected president of Ukraine. He announced this intention during his meeting with the Ukrainian diaspora in Israel on September 28. "One more question is dual citizenship. As a candidate I included this issue into my program, and will fight for the introduction of dual citizenship in Ukraine," Mr. Yanukovych said. He added that this question has a long story and many uncertainties. Mr. Yanukovych noted that Ukrainian citizens who go to work abroad and do not give up Ukrainian nationality are subject to discrimination and lose income. The diaspora met this statement with applause. Mr. Yanukovych also said it is possible to pay Ukrainian pensions to the citizens who earlier lived in Ukraine. He called for liberalization of visa regulations, saying that he was planning to introduce them stage by stage. Mr. Yanukovych was on a two-day working visit to Israel to meet with that country's authorities. During his meetings with Israeli leaders he discussed, among other things, the issues of dual citizenship and payment of pensions to immigrants from Ukraine. (Ukrainian News Agency, Action Ukraine Report)

PM wants second state language

KYIV - Prime Minister and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych said at a meeting with representatives of Russian media in Kyiv on September 27 that Russian should become the second state language in Ukraine, Interfax reported. "The Russian language should be a language of business in Ukraine and a second state language," Mr. Yanukovych said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Pollsters predict close vote

KYIV - According to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Sociology Institute and SOCIS on September 17-27 among 11,000 Ukrainians, presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko would be supported by 31.5 percent of voters in the first round and 38.2 percent in the runoff, while his main rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, would be backed by 30.6 percent and 37.5 percent of voters, respectively, Interfax reported on October 5. SOCIS commented that the difference in the registered popularity ratings of both candidates is statistically insignificant. According to the poll, 69 percent of respondents firmly declared that they would cast ballots in the October 31 presidential election. (RFE/RL Newsline)

UAOC head endorses Yanukovych

KYIV - During a September 30 meeting of Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and members of his Cabinet of Ministers with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, the head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Mefodii (Kudriakov), said that only the presidency of Ukraine's current prime minister "will give Ukraine stability and peace between churches." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

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