STATEMENTS REGARDING UKRAINE'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Ukrainian World Congress (12/05/04)

STATEMENTS REGARDING UKRAINE'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Ukrainian World Congress

Below is the Ukrainian World Congress position paper on current events in Ukraine (released November 29).

On November 21, 2004, a presidential election took place in Ukraine. According to most international observers, the process was fraught with widespread and flagrant violations and fell well below common democratic standards. Documented violations included but were not limited to fraudulent proxy voting, multiple voting, ballot box stuffing by administrative officials and electoral commission members, bribery, misuse of administrative resources, use of foreign governmental resources, threats and intimidation, voter list manipulation and vandalism.

The violations heavily favored the candidacy of current Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych. Nevertheless, all exit polls, except Mr. Yanukovych's, indicated that opposition candidate Victor Yushchenko had prevailed, some by double digits. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian agency entrusted with the electoral process, the Central Election Commission, proclaimed Mr. Yanukovych the winner.

The November run-off elections were preceded by a period of intense manipulation by the president and prime minister of Ukraine, acting through various levels of government, including the Central Election Commission. Cabinet ministries essentially functioned to make the prime minister president.

The Ukrainian World Congress, acting as the central coordinating body for the Ukrainian diaspora, attempted to include relocated Ukrainian citizens abroad into the electoral process. We were confounded and ultimately manipulated in this effort by Ukraine's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as well as the Central Election Commission. Lists of voters were compiled selectively. In those countries where it was anticipated that Mr. Yushchenko would prevail, obstacles, logistic and otherwise, were artificially imposed to maintain voter lists at a minimum. On the other hand, where the anticipated winner was Mr. Yanukovych, such as in the breakaway Republic of Moldovan Transdniester, voter lists were expanded. Complicit in these efforts were local diplomatic personnel, local election commissions and even foreign officials.

Striking examples of these incongruities are the aforesaid geographically tiny Transdniester (not more than 20 kilometers wide) and expansive Canada. In the former, the Central Election Commission created seven additional polling stations (in the final weeks prior to the primary election), whereas it formed no additional polling stations in Canada. Not surprisingly, almost 90 percent of the voters in Transdniester voted for Mr. Yanukovych and a similar percentage of the voters in Canada voted for Mr. Yushchenko. However, given geographic and registration manipulations, those percentages translated to some 20,000 votes for Mr. Yanukovych in Transdniester and less than 3,000 for Mr. Yushchenko in Canada.

Many democratic governments and international organizations have voiced their disapproval of the fraudulent vote, among them the United States of America, Canada, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others. No democratic foreign dignitary or international institution has recognized Mr. Yanukovych to date. Not surprisingly, only such notorious autocrats as President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan have come out in support of Mr. Yanukovych. In view of Russia's intense interference in the pre-election, electoral and post-election processes, many governments, organizations and the media have expressed their condemnation of Russia's actions.

The people of Ukraine have taken to the streets and squares in order to retrieve their subverted vote. Huge manifestations of protest over the announced election results and in support of Mr. Yushchenko have sprouted all over Ukraine. Police and military leadership and personnel, academics, businesspersons and even hundreds of Ukraine's diplomats have broken with the ruling regime and voiced their support for Mr. Yushchenko.

In solidarity with the Ukrainian people's struggle to establish, at long last, an independent and democratic Ukrainian state, Ukrainians in the diaspora on six continents, including such countries as Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mozambique, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and many others, have initiated public rallies, protests and political activism: manifesting outrage with the announced results; urging Ukrainian diplomats to join the ranks of the Ukrainian people; protesting Russia's interference; and calling upon their governments to convey to the current leadership of Ukraine disapproval of the severely tainted electoral process, suggesting a just and peaceful resolution of the crisis in accordance with Ukraine's Constitution and under international objective supervision, rebuking the president of Russia for Russia's interference in Ukraine, and issuing an unequivocal warning that any further interference will not be tolerated by the international community.

The Supreme Court of Ukraine stopped the inauguration of Mr. Yanukovych pending judicial review of the election. Ukraine's Parliament declared the election invalid. Both sides submitted to international mediation, and Mr. Yushchenko made an offer of compromise. Despite the Yushchenko campaign's calculation that more than 3 million votes were stolen, which if voided would give him victory, Mr. Yushchenko magnanimously suggested a new election, this time under OSCE supervision. This offer was declined and talks have broken off.

It is the position of the Ukrainian World Congress that the election was arrogantly and demonstrably falsified in favor of Mr. Yanukovych and that the true winner of the election is Mr. Yushchenko. Therefore, the Ukrainian World Congress recognizes Mr. Yushchenko as the president-elect of Ukraine. Furthermore, the Ukrainian World Congress congratulates all members of the current government and the diplomatic corps of Ukraine, law enforcement agencies, the military and all people of Ukraine who declared their unequivocal support for democracy and Mr. Yushchenko as Ukraine's president.

In the interest of fairness and peace, we urge Mr. Yanukovych to resign his candidacy. Barring that, given the slim gap in vote tally between the candidates as reported by the Central Election Commission, and the flagrancy of non-democratic electoral violations favoring Mr. Yanukovych, the international mediators and the courts should declare Mr. Yushchenko the clear winner, democratic governments should recognize him as president, and the chairman of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada should hold the swearing in of Mr. Yushchenko expeditiously. Until such time the people of Ukraine, as well as Ukrainians in the diaspora need to hold forth and even intensify their efforts to ensure that the will of the people is carried out.

For the Ukrainian World Congress:
Askold S. Lozynskyj, president
Victor Pedenko, secretary general

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