ELECTION WATCH (10/31/04)

ELECTION WATCH

Channel 5 journalists on hunger strike

KYIV - A group of Channel 5 journalists went on a hunger strike in Kyiv on October 25, protesting what they claim to be official pressure on their station in the ongoing presidential election campaign, Ukrainian news agencies reported, quoting Channel 5. The journalists demand the reversal of a court's recent ruling freezing the channel's bank account, a move widely believed to herald the imminent closing of the channel which supports the presidential bid of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. The journalists also demand that the National Council for Radio and Television allow Channel 5 to broadcast in Ukraine's regional cable network in accordance with terms stipulated in its license. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Journalists back pro-opposition channel

KYIV - Some 100 Ukrainian television journalists took part in a march in Kyiv on October 24 in support of Channel 5, the private television channel that is supporting opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko's presidential bid, Ukrainian news agencies reported. Channel 5 is reportedly facing a threat of closure, following a court ruling in a defamation case. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition campaigner attacked

KYIV - Two unidentified men threw bottles with some combustible substance at the car of National Deputy Volodymyr Bondarenko, chief of Viktor Yushchenko's presidential election staff in Kyiv, on October 25, the Our Ukraine website (www.razom.org.ua) reported. Mr. Bondarenko escaped the attack, which occurred in a Kyiv suburb, unscathed; his driver obtained a slight burn, while the car was completely burned out. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Pora announces week of protests

KYIV - The youth organization Pora on October 25 announced on its website (pora.org.ua/) that a "wave of student strikes and actions" will take place on October 25-30 to protest what it calls the official repression of the youth movement in Ukraine. "The repression by the authorities has acquired a nationwide character," Pora says. "Explosives, military cartridges, forged money and stolen items are surreptitiously placed with the youth activists whose views do not coincide with official ones, and criminal cases are being opened against them. This can't go on any longer!" (RFE/RL Newsline)

41 more polling stations in Russia

KYIV - The Central Election Commission held a meeting on October 23 devoted to creating 420 constituencies in Russia for the October 31 Ukrainian presidential election, in addition to the four that were set up earlier, Ukrainian media reported. The meeting was attended by opposition lawmakers and presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who opposed the opening of additional polling stations in Russia, arguing that this move could be conducive to election falsifications since there would be no election observers in those constituencies. However, the following day the commission passed a resolution on opening 41 more polling stations in Russia. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Opposition fears fraud in Russia

KYIV - During an all-night meeting, Ukraine's Central Election Commission (CEC) voted on Sunday, October 24, at 3:30 a.m. to create 41 additional polling stations for an alleged 150,000 Ukrainian voters located in the Russian Federation during the October 31 presidential vote. Mykola Katerynchuk, Democratic opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko's CEC representative, immediately called the move illegal, stating it violated procedural terms in Ukraine's election law and is an attempt to open the door to voter fraud. Mr. Katerynchuk noted that only four polling stations serving 25,000 voters were open in the Russian Federation during Ukraine's parliamentary elections in March 2002. According to Ukraine's election law, the Central Election Commission may open additional polling stations no later than seven days before the election. That term expired at midnight on Saturday, October 23. "We will challenge the Central Election Commission's decision in Ukraine's Supreme Court," Yushchenko campaign chairman Oleksander Zinchenko said. He called the voter lists in these regions "bogus" and said that next to many signatures were Russian Federation passport numbers, indicating that the alleged voters are not Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine does not recognize dual citizenship with any country. The campaign of incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych urged the CEC to open 420 additional polling stations in the Russian Federation after it gathered more than a million signatures from alleged Ukrainian citizens located throughout Russia who are unable to return home for the October 31 presidential election. Last week the Yushchenko campaign uncovered a government plan to falsify between 3.5 million and 5.5 million votes during the presidential election through the use of outdated voter lists that contain numerous errors, false identities and names of dead persons. Some of the falsifications were expected to take place at polling stations abroad, many of which cannot be supervised by Embassy personnel and are beyond the observation of CEC, law enforcement officials and election monitors. (Our Ukraine Update)

Opposition supporters attached by mob

KYIV - A group of some 100 Yushchenko supporters of Viktor Yushchenko who picketed the Central Election Commission headquarters on the evening of October 23 were attacked by a mob of some 50 unidentified men, who were armed with flails and plastic bottles filled with some hard mixture, the Mass Information Institute website and UNIAN reported. The picketers, along with opposition deputies, managed to detain three attackers - two of whom turned out to be police officers. The Internal Affairs Ministry has not yet commented on the attack. Twelve picketers were reportedly hospitalized following the attack. (RFE/RL Newsline)

200,000 police to maintain order

KYIV - Some 200,000 policemen will be maintaining law and order at territorial and district electoral commissions on October 29 through November 2, reported Ukrainian News of Kyiv, citing Oleksander Savchenko, head of the Internal Affairs Ministry's public order department. He said that number of policemen will be required for the maintenance of public order on the premises of 225 territorial and 33,485 divisional electoral commissions. He said the police would stand guard at electoral commissions around the clock, in three shifts, beginning from the moment ballot papers are delivered there and until they are taken to the Central Electoral Commission. Mr. Savchenko noted that two police officers must stay at each polling station all the time. (Ukrainian News, Action Ukraine Report)

Warnings of "strong-arm scenario"

KYIV - National Deputy Volodymyr Stretovych said in the Verkhovna Rada on October 22 that the Our Ukraine bloc of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko has been informed about a secret conference of 140 pro-government legislators with President Leonid Kuchma devoted to discussing a "strong-arm scenario" in the ongoing presidential election campaign, Ukrainska Pravda reported. "Under this scenario, there will be big mug shots [in English-flavored Ukrainian: "bigmordy" - the campaign's common usage for large-format pictures of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych] of the candidate supported by the authorities displayed in all shops throughout the country," Mr. Stretovych said. "After that, people dressed in sports shirts bearing the inscription 'Yes, Yushchenko!' will start smashing the windows in those shops," he predicted, "and after that the authorities will proclaim a state of emergency because of social unrest." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yanukovych grateful for Putin's support

SUMY - Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian prime minister and presidential candidate, said he would be grateful to Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting his presidential bid if the Russian leader decides to make a statement to this effect. "If there is support I will be always grateful for it," Mr. Yanukovych told journalists in the Sumy region when asked whether or not Mr. Putin's visit to Ukraine on October 28 is a form of support for Mr. Yanukovych's presidential bid. Mr. Yanukovych said that invitations to take part in festivities marking the 60th anniversary of Ukraine's liberation from Nazi occupation had been sent to all heads of former Soviet republics. "Many people were liberating Ukraine, perhaps all peoples of the Soviet Union. It was the great victory of the great Soviet Union," he explained. "We should remember this and be grateful for this. For this reason we have invited everyone to these festivities. We will see who comes and will be glad to see everyone," Mr. Yanukovych said. (BBC Monitoring, Action Ukraine Report)

Moroz against dual citizenship

KYIV - The Socialist Party's leader and presidential candidate Oleksander Moroz has expressed opposition to dual citizenship. Mr. Moroz was commenting on presidential candidate and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's intention to introduce dual citizenship with Russia while participating in a live radio program in Mariupol (Donetsk region). Mr. Moroz said he opposed dual citizenship because dual citizenship should have been introduced with other countries. However, he said he believes this is impossible. "Tatars [living in Ukraine] want [dual citizenship] with Turkey. Poles with Poland ... Everyone is apparently interested, but nationhood will be lost and collapse as a result," Mr. Moroz observed. He said it would be more appropriate to allow free movement of people. "It is better for us to make the border in such a way that a person crossing it does not know that he is traveling to another country - to Russia or any other country," Mr. Moroz said. He added that Mr. Yanukovych should not have made such a statement because introduction of dual citizenship is not in the competence of the president of Ukraine. (Ukrainian News Agency, Action Ukraine Report)

More polling places in Australia, Moldova

KYIV - Australia and Moldova have authorized voting in this year's Ukrainian presidential elections to be held outside the Ukrainian consular and diplomatic missions located on their territories. Markian Lubkivskyi, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry's press service, announced on October 15 to journalists. "Primarily, we have received the consent of Australia to hold Ukrainian presidential elections outside the borders of the consular and diplomatic institutions of Ukraine," Mr. Lubkivskyi said. Mr. Lubkivskyi said that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had sent its proposal on the creation of four additional polling stations in Moldova to the Central Election Commission. These additional polling stations in Moldova will be located in Ukrainian-language schools. Mr. Lubkivskyi said the ministry is working on all the proposals it has received from Ukrainian citizens based abroad. The Central Electoral Commission thus far has created 113 election commissions abroad for this year's Ukrainian presidential elections. (Ukrainian News Agency, Action Ukraine Report)

U.S. and Spain allow more polling stations

WASHINGTON - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine received the consent of the governments of the United States and Spain for the establishment of polling stations outside the Embassies and Consulates General of Ukraine in connection with the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine. This information as well as the requests of the citizens and public organizations of the Ukrainians were conveyed promptly to the Central Election Committee, which was to take a decision on the establishment of the supplemental polling stations in these countries. The ministry continues to provide the conditions to conduct the presidential elections at the polling stations abroad. As the Ministry informed earlier, the governments of Australia, Moldova, Vietnam and the Russian Federation gave their consent to the establishment of polling stations outside Ukraine's Embassies and Consulates General. The government of Canada allowed the establishment of polling stations at the Ukrainian Embassy and Consulates, including the Honorary Consulate in Calgary. (Embassy of Ukraine in the United States)

Amnesty International notes detentions

LONDON - It is particularly important that Ukraine demonstrate to the world that it respects the right to freedom of expression in the run up to the presidential elections later this month, Amnesty International said today. "Recent events seem to demonstrate a disappointing disregard for this right," the organization said. Amnesty International said it "is concerned by reports that members of the youth opposition organization Pora (It's Time) are being subjected to arbitrary arrest and harassment for the legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression. Pora is a social campaign that distributes leaflets and runs a satirical website encouraging people not to vote for the government presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych. Reports monitored by Amnesty International included detentions of oppositions activists in Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad and Kyiv. The watch group noted: "The number of such detentions that are taking place across Ukraine and the numerous violations of procedures raise concerns that these young people may have been detained for their legitimate and peaceful opposition activities. If this is the case Amnesty International would consider them prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release." (Amnesty International)

Kharkiv group warns of officials' tactics

KHARKIV - The Kharkiv branch of the Power of the People, the coalition of forces supporting Viktor Yushchenko's presidential bid, has issued a statement claiming that the authorities have begun implementing a "strong-arm scenario" for derailing the October 31 presidential elections, Interfax reported on 20 October. The statement was issued in connection with the arrest of Yurii Patykun, head of the Yushchenko regional election staff in Kharkiv. Earlier the same day police detained Mr. Patykun, who was driving a car, and reportedly found a bomb in the car. Bomb experts detonated the bomb near the car. Mr. Patykun's deputy, Ihor Korol, who was present during the search, told journalists that the police planted the bomb in Mr. Patykun's car in order to be able to accuse him of preparing a terrorist act. Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 students demonstrated in front of the police headquarters in Lviv the same day, protesting the police clampdown on the anti-government youth organization Pora, which was also accused of terrorism. Pora announced on its website (http://kuchmizm.info) that student protests against the arrest of two of Pora activists are expected in Chernihiv. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Greek-Catholics to pray for election

KYIV - All the parishes of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church will be praying until election day for the Ukrainian state and for the election to help strengthen its authority. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the UGCC, said at a press conference on October 13: "We are praying for the Ukrainian state and for the election to be conducted in a way that will strengthen our country and raise it up." He said that prayers will also be said in the churches on election day, October 31, as a sort of invitation for the citizens to perform their civic duty and vote. "We, as a Church, together with other Christian Churches and religious organizations ask our faithful to treat the election seriously," said the cardinal. He emphasized that the UGCC does not endorse any of the candidates. "We all long for the election to proceed the way it should, calmly and peacefully," he explained. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Russian Communists support Symonenko

MOSCOW - Russia's Communists on October 20 gathered outside the Ukrainian Embassy to support the Ukrainian Communist Party's candidate for president of Ukraine, Petro Symonenko, reported Ekho Moskvy Radio. About 100 people gathered for a rally; they were all holding red flags and posters in support of candidate Petro Symonenko and against his opponent, Viktor Yushchenko. The radio reported: "In addition, they'd brought along a cartoon of Yushchenko, depicting him in a track suit bearing the letters USA and holding a bag full of dollars." Members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation addressed the meeting. State Duma Deputy Liubov Shvets told the demonstrators that she was from Ukraine herself and that Viktor Yushchenko should not and must not become president of the country because he doesn't really know the people who live there. She said: "Why does the world community back Yushchenko so zealously? Why is everything being done so that he wins the election? Someone who basically has nothing at all in common, even through his wife [a U.S. citizen of Ukrainian descent], with the Ukrainian people and doesn't know how to communicate with them." Ivan Melnikov read the participants in the rally a statement which urges Ukrainians to vote for Mr. Symonenko even though political scientists doubt he will win. (BBC Monitoring, Action Ukraine Report)

Interfax quotes poll past deadline

KYIV - The Kyiv-based news agency Interfax-Ukraine on October 21 carried a "paid press release" by the Russian Club in Kyiv reporting on the results of a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Fund on October 12-17. Many analysts believe that the Russian Club, which was opened in August, serves as an additional venue for employing murky election techniques by Russian spin doctors who are backing Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's presidential bid. According to the poll, Mr. Yanukovych will be supported by 37 percent and 43 percent of voters, respectively, in the first round and the possible runoff of the presidential election, while the corresponding support figures for his main rival Viktor Yushchenko are 31 percent and 35 percent. Ukraine's presidential election law prohibits the Ukrainian media from publicizing the results of polls concerning the popularity of presidential candidates within 15 days of voting day, as stated in the report. It is not clear from the report whether this prohibition applies to Interfax-Ukraine news releases as well. (RFE/RL Newsline)

UAOC hierarch cites pressure on children

KHARKIV - The Consistory of the Kharkiv and Poltava Diocese of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church has received a number of complaints from clergy and laypersons of the diocese whose children attend primary grades at state comprehensive schools, where "apparently, minor children appear to have become the object of political pressure from certain teachers," noted Archbishop Ihor Isichenko in a statement to the press released on October 13. "It was reported that at various schools, primary grade teachers interrogated children with respect to who their parents intend to vote for and for whom the children would vote for if they had the right," the archbishop's statement noted. "Further, the teachers attempted to popularize in the eyes of children one of the candidates for president of Ukraine and discredit another candidate, slandering him and accusing him of acting as an intermediary for the alleged interference of the United States in the life of Ukraine." The UAOC hierarch, who is archbishop of Kharkiv and Poltava, also stated: "... concerned as we are about the spiritual health and human rights of our flock, we regard political agitation among minors as tantamount to the seduction of children by dragging them into the soul-degrading arena of corrupt politics. We demand that Ukrainian minor children be protected from the corrupting actions of politically interested persons who hold positions of trust in our schools and that appropriate measures are taken to isolate the system of education from the criminal manipulation of public opinion." (Kharkiv and Poltava Diocese of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church)

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