ELECTION WATCH

Protesters await PM's departure

KYIV - Viktor Yushchenko's adherents will unblock the building of the Cabinet of Ministers only after Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his ministers leave their posts, following the no-confidence vote in the Cabinet of Ministers by the Verkhovna Rada on December 1, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported on December 2, quoting lawmaker Petro Poroshenko, a Yushchenko ally. Mr. Poroshenko was commenting on an accord between Messrs. Yushchenko and Yanukovych providing for the removal of the ongoing blockade of the government offices. "There is no government, it was dismissed, and this [dismissal] does not require any additional steps on the part of the president or the prime minister," Mr. Poroshenko said. Meanwhile, Mr. Yanukovych said on December 1 that the parliamentary no-confidence vote in his Cabinet was illegal. "I will never recognize a decision taken under pressure," Ukrainian media quoted him as saying. "They [parliament] approved the decision in political terms. But it is against the law, it is against the constitution." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma against repeat vote

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma said on December 1 that neither he nor Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych support the idea of a rerun of the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine, Interfax reported. Mr. Kuchma stressed that he is in favor of staging a new presidential election. "Where in the world [do you have] a third round of elections?" the president said. "A repeat [runoff] is a farce. I will never support it because it is unconstitutional." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yanukovych files court appeal

KYIV - As the Ukrainian Supreme Court was reviewing Viktor Yushchenko's complaints of massive vote fraud in Ukraine's eastern oblasts for the third consecutive day, Viktor Yanukovych filed a complaint on December 1 claiming that results of the November 21 presidential run-off were falsified in a number of constituencies in western Ukraine, Interfax reported. According to Mr. Yanukovych, the alleged falsification took place in many polling stations where Mr. Yushchenko beat his opponent overwhelmingly or by a wide margin - notably in the Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Chernivtsi regions, as well as in the capital city. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Donetsk seeks federation in Ukraine

DONETSK - The Donetsk Oblast Council on December 1 adopted a resolution to hold a regional referendum on January 9 to seek constitutional amendments that could introduce a federal system in Ukraine and give their region a status of republic in a new federation, Interfax reported. The resolution confirms the council's vote of November 28 to seek such a status for the region, which overwhelmingly voted for Viktor Yanukovych in the October 31 and November 21 presidential election rounds. Donetsk Oblast Council Chairman Borys Kolesnykov told journalists that after staging the "consultative" referendum on January 9 the region will begin collecting signatures for organizing a national referendum on Ukraine's federalization.

NBU Chairman Tyhypko resigns

KYIV - Serhii Tyhypko on November 29 resigned as head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), Ukrainian media reported. "Now, in my opinion, it is impossible to combine positions of NBU governor and [Labor Ukraine] party leader," Mr. Tyhypko told journalists. "I will concentrate fully on politics." Mr. Tyhypko, who was manager of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's presidential campaign, distanced himself from the prime minister. "I am not staying on as the head of the Yanukovych campaign," Mr. Tyhypko said. "We fulfilled our function when the voting took place [on 21 November]." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Brodsky Synagogue helps protesters

KYIV - The Brodsky Central Synagogue has begun 24-hour distribution of food and hot beverages to all who are currently demonstrating in the streets of Kyiv. The leaders of the community explain that they do not consider this a political action. According to a November 25 report by mignews.com.ua, a spokesman said: "We are saying that there are people in the streets today, regardless of their political passions. They are cold, they are in trouble, and we cannot stand aside from what's going on." (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Liturgy on Independence Square

KYIV - On the morning of November 24, Father Sviatoslav Shevchuk, vice-rector of Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv, served a divine liturgy for the "residents" of the tent camp on the Khreshchatyk. Father Shevchuk is one of dozens of priests of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) that have come to Ukraine's capital to provide spiritual care for the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on Kyiv's Independence Square who are protesting what they consider to be the unfair presidential election of November 21. The administration and seminarians of Holy Spirit Seminary left Lviv for Kyiv on November 23. The same was done by UGCC seminary communities from Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mukachiv and Drohobych. During the liturgy Father Shevchuk read the address of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate of the UGCC regarding the current societal situation in Ukraine. The November 24 liturgy initiated what is to be a series of daily liturgies in downtown Kyiv. On the following day, priests of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church were scheduled to celebrate, followed by the clergy of other denominations. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

3,000 demonstrate in Rome

ROME - More than 3,000 people gathered in Rome's Republic Square on November 25 in support of the demand for justice in Ukraine after massive falsifications in the November 21 presidential election. The all-Italy meeting of Ukrainians of the Apennine peninsula was joined by Italians, Poles, Serbs, Macedonians, Americans and Croatians. After a common prayer service, the address of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church commenting on the situation was read. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Lavrov: Russia can mediate crisis

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on December 1 that Moscow is willing to help mediate a settlement to the escalating political crisis in Ukraine, ITAR-TASS reported. "We can provide this assistance if we receive the corresponding request from the Ukrainian leadership and if we can help the situation remain in the channel of Ukrainian legislation," said Mr. Lavrov, who was on an official visit to Thailand. "It is our firm conviction that the situation in Ukraine should be resolved on the basis of Ukrainian laws and the procedures they envision," he said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Minister assails Europe's "interference"

MOSCOW - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on December 1 that Europe's support for Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has led to increased instability, RIA-Novosti reported. Speaking in Bangkok during an official visit, Mr. Lavrov said the "excessive involvement of certain European representatives in the process taking place in Ukraine has increased tension" in that country. "It was only after all these provocations" sparked talk of separatism in some Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine "that our Western colleagues began to call for restraint and necessary respect for the constitution and the laws of this country," Mr. Lavrov said. "It appears that they themselves recognize that they were a little bit hasty in trying to influence the situation from outside. We hope that they will draw the necessary lessons from this." Mr. Lavrov spoke as the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov headed to Kyiv to begin a new effort to broker a resolution to the crisis. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lavrov wants to meet with Rice

MOSCOW - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said on December 1 that he would like to meet with U.S. Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice as soon as possible, ITAR-TASS reported. "I think that such a meeting is necessary," Mr. Lavrov said. He added that he would be "glad to meet" with Dr. Rice even before her confirmation by the U.S. Senate if it can be arranged, but said he understands that he will likely need to wait until after her confirmation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Crisis causes run on bank deposits

KYIV - National Bank of Ukraine Acting Chairman Arsenii Yatseniuk told Reuters on November 29 that the ongoing controversy over the results of the November 21 presidential run-off in Ukraine has fueled a run on bank deposits. "We decided to satisfy everybody's needs in order to convince people that all deposits will be paid," Mr. Yatseniuk added. Earlier the same day, President Leonid Kuchma expressed his apprehension that Ukraine's financial system may collapse "like a house of cards in several days' time" because of the current political crisis. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Controls tightened on cash operations

KYIV - The National Bank of Ukraine on December 1 tightened controls on cash operations and U.S. dollar sales to prevent a banking crisis and stop capital flight out of the country in the ongoing political crisis, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. The bank limited cash U.S. dollar sales to $1,000 a day and non-cash dollar sales to $50,000. Withdrawals from cash machines were limited to 1,500 hrv ($282) a day. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Zhirinovskii supporters for Yanukovych

MOSCOW - As a local leader from heavily Russian-populated eastern Ukraine prepared to address the State Duma during a special session on December 1, a group of lawmakers from Vladimir Zhirinovskii's nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) arrived wearing blue and white scarves to show solidarity with Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, Russian and international news agencies reported. "We are showing our solidarity with the majority of Ukrainian citizens who chose their president, Viktor Yanukovych," and with the deputies of the Ukrainian parliament who are supporting him, said Mr. Zhirinovskii, the LDPR leader and a deputy speaker in the Duma, according to AFP. The blue and white scarves were inscribed with the words "For Yanukovych." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Donetsk councilman appeals to Duma

DONETSK - Donetsk City Council Secretary Mykola Levchenko urged the Russian State Duma at its extraordinary session on December 1 "to toughen its positions on Ukraine" in the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. "America and Western Europe are sticking their noses into Ukraine, while Russia is afraid even to touch it with its hand," ITAR-TASS quoted Mr. Levchenko as saying at a news conference after the session. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyrgyzstan expresses concern

BISHKEK - The Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan issued a statement of concern on November 30 over the tense situation that has developed in Ukraine in the wake of the bitterly disputed presidential run-off, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. The statement called on all sides in the standoff to do everything possible to reach a compromise, use legal means to resolve outstanding issues, and preserve the country's territorial integrity. On November 25 Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev had congratulated Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on his victory in the contested run-off. (RFE/RL Newsline)

UCU recognizes Yushchenko

LVIV - In a meeting with students, teachers and staff of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), the Rev. Dr. Borys Gudziak, rector, stated that he recognizes that Viktor Yushchenko won the second round of Ukraine's presidential election of November 21. UCU students are among those defending the people's choice in Kyiv, among those participating in demonstrations in Lviv and praying for the triumph of truth in the presidential election. Father Gudziak spoke about this on November 22 at the university. "Today we must openly declare our position in support of what is happening in Kyiv, when for the first time since Ukraine's independence, people are actively defending their choice," he said. "We cannot be 'sheep' and 'cattle,' because we have dignity and we will protect it. Today we must ensure the spiritual dimension of the position of Ukrainians. Our actions must be coordinated, so as not to diffuse in the whirlpool of the events taking place in Ukraine today. We have already elected our president, and nobody doubts that Viktor Yushchenko is that president." The UCU community has also participated in pontifical liturgies praying for justice which took place in St. George Cathedral in Lviv, led by Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Crisis overshadows Russia-EU summit

BRUSSELS - The crisis over Ukraine's disputed presidential election cast a shadow over the European Union summit, as Moscow and Brussels failed to negotiate a "strategic partnership" agreement, Russian and international news agencies reported on November 25. "We have not reached agreement on all points," the Associated Press quoted Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende as saying after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "There is still a great deal to be done." However, both said the talks proved valuable. Mr. Putin said he hopes an agreement will be reached by the next EU summit in May 2005. Mr. Balkenende said the sides could not agree on security cooperation, specifically regarding Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and the Caucasus states. The EU wants to forge closer ties with the ex-Soviet states while Moscow is wary of an expanding Europe in its sphere of influence. Russia has complained about Europe's interference over human rights violations in Chechnya and about the treatment of Russian-speaking minorities in new EU members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moscow envoy cites "meddling"

BRUSSELS - The Russian envoy to the European Union, Sergei Yastrzhembskii, accused the West, particularly the United States, of trying to unduly influence Ukraine's political crisis, Russian and international news agencies reported on November 27. "It's impossible not to see the direct involvement of the American Congress, individual congressmen who are spending their days and nights in Kyiv - foundations, non-governmental organizations, consultants, experts," he said in an interview on RTR television on the same day. "It's clear and obvious to everyone." Mr. Yastrzhembskii said the street protests in Ukraine have "the same signature" as those that toppled Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, and also likened them to Poland's anti-Communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s. He accused "certain forces in the West" of attempting to use "so-called street oligarchy and street democracy" to influence the outcome of Ukraine's political crisis. "Someone wants to make citizens of states of the post-Soviet space ... think that many very serious political and electoral problems can be solved involving the crowd," Mr. Yastrzhembskii said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Duma speaker assails opposition

MOSCOW - State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said on November 30 that Ukraine could be headed for a violent breakup and bloodshed over its deadlocked presidential election, Russian and international news agencies reported on the same day. "The situation there is heading towards a split or towards bloodshed," he said. "I see no other way the situation could develop," he added. Mr. Gryzlov briefly participated in attempts to mediate between pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and West-leaning opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. He accused Mr. Yushchenko of fomenting unrest. "Yushchenko was expected to urge the people to clear the streets, but the opposition did not do that," Mr. Gryzlov said. "On the contrary, it's distorting the essence of negotiations." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Zyuganov weighs in

MOSCOW - Gennadii Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, criticized members of Ukraine's parliament for passing a resolution calling the presidential elections invalid, ITAR-TASS reported on November 29. "It is not a democracy when under the pressure of an aggressive mob the parliament adopts decisions trampling upon the expression of the will of the majority of the people," Zyuganov said. Mr. Zyuganov also criticized Ukrainian Communists for endorsing a "document supporting aggressive ambitions of [Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor] Yushchenko." He added that developments in Ukraine must "be guided strictly by the letter of the law. Only the Central Election Commission, not the Parliament, has the right to determine the results of the voting." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Moldova rejects vote results

CHISINAU - The Foreign Ministry of Moldova issued a statement on November 26 that said the Ukrainian presidential election does "not meet standards [that would allow the results to be] accepted by the international community," dpa, Infotag, and Flux reported. Earlier that day, the ruling Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) said in a statement that the rejection of the November 21 ballot by Ukrainian Communist Party First Secretary Petro Symonenko is "fully justified," according to Infotag. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lukashenka congratulates Yanukovych

MIENSK - President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on November 23 congratulated Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on winning the November 21 presidential run-off despite the lack of a final tally in that vote, Belarusian media reported. In a telephone conversation, both politicians reportedly expressed their firm conviction that Belarusian-Ukrainian relations will continue developing dynamically and progressively. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Parties picket Embassy in Moscow

MOSCOW - More than 200 protesters from the Yabloko party and the Union of Rightist Forces picketed the Embassy of Ukraine in Moscow in support of Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko on November 28, ITAR-TASS reported on the same day. Wearing orange scarves and waving orange flags, the symbols of Yushchenko's presidential campaign, the demonstrators chanted "We won't be overcome." A smaller group of counter demonstrators, led by the leader of the Working Russia party, Viktor Anpilov, gathered nearby to support Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. About 20 police officers kept the two groups apart. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 5, 2004, No. 49, Vol. LXXII

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