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Ukraine crisis threatens rift between US and Russia
Ukraine's political crisis deepened last night after three days of street protests and political drama threatened to cause a diplomatic rift between Russia and the US.
The opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, declared himself the winner of Sunday's presidential run-off against the Kremlin-backed prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, by swearing himself in after an emergency parliamentary session. The EU and the US tacitly backed Mr Yushchenko's claims by stepping up pressure for a review of the election, which western observers have said was seriously flawed. "The US is deeply concerned by extensive and credible indications of fraud," said a White House spokeswoman.
But President Vladimir Putin of Russia, visiting Portugal, branded criticism of the election "inadmissible" as there were still no complete official results. Ukraine did not need to be lectured, he said.
The US summoned the Russian ambassador to explain why they had endorsed a victory for Mr Yanukovich before the count was completed. In turn, a Russian official lashed out at what he called "unprecedented interference" in domestic affairs.
Opposition protesters shouted "Bravo Mr President!" as Mr Yushchenko swore an oath on the constitution and a bible. The speaker of parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn, called Mr Yushchenko's move a "political act," which "cannot entail any legal consequences."
Mr Yushchenko accused Ukrainian authorities of rigging Sunday's vote and announced a campaign of civil disobedience. "Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict," Mr Yushchenko said. "We have two choices: the answer will be given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."
Thousands of protesters surrounded the presidential offices in Kiev to demand that the election results be overturned. They were met by hundreds of police in riot gear.
Late last night the protests appeared to be calming after the outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, called for negotiations with the opposition.
Earlier, Yushchenko supporters had followed him to parliament, waving orange flags and chanting. Others set up tents on Kiev's main avenue and in Independence Square, pledging to stay until he is declared president. Five trucks full of rubble were parked nearby and men inside two parked buses described them selves as "volunteers to prevent a coup d'etat".
Kiev's city council and the administrations of four other cities - Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk - have refused to recognise the figures from the central electoral commission giving Mr Yanukovich a commanding lead.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1358199,00.html
But President Vladimir Putin of Russia, visiting Portugal, branded criticism of the election "inadmissible" as there were still no complete official results. Ukraine did not need to be lectured, he said.
The US summoned the Russian ambassador to explain why they had endorsed a victory for Mr Yanukovich before the count was completed. In turn, a Russian official lashed out at what he called "unprecedented interference" in domestic affairs.
Opposition protesters shouted "Bravo Mr President!" as Mr Yushchenko swore an oath on the constitution and a bible. The speaker of parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn, called Mr Yushchenko's move a "political act," which "cannot entail any legal consequences."
Mr Yushchenko accused Ukrainian authorities of rigging Sunday's vote and announced a campaign of civil disobedience. "Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict," Mr Yushchenko said. "We have two choices: the answer will be given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."
Thousands of protesters surrounded the presidential offices in Kiev to demand that the election results be overturned. They were met by hundreds of police in riot gear.
Late last night the protests appeared to be calming after the outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, called for negotiations with the opposition.
Earlier, Yushchenko supporters had followed him to parliament, waving orange flags and chanting. Others set up tents on Kiev's main avenue and in Independence Square, pledging to stay until he is declared president. Five trucks full of rubble were parked nearby and men inside two parked buses described them selves as "volunteers to prevent a coup d'etat".
Kiev's city council and the administrations of four other cities - Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk - have refused to recognise the figures from the central electoral commission giving Mr Yanukovich a commanding lead.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1358199,00.html
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Protesters march on parliament to claim victory for Yushchenko as presidential election crisis deepens
Nick Paton Walsh in Kiev
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
After two days of protests that brought Kiev to a standstill, Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared yesterday that he had won Sunday's presidential run-off vote, and symbolically took the presidential oath before fewer than half of the national assembly's MPs.
Hours later, tens of thousands of protesters marched on the parliament buildings.
"We are going to go to the presidential administration in a peaceful way, without breaking anything," said Yulia Tymoshenko, who heads a faction in parliament backing Mr Yushchenko.
"Either they will give up their power, or we will take it."
The opposition created a tent city on the central street and demanded the reversal of the official results, which give the pro-Russian prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, a 3% lead.
An exit poll funded by western embassies put Mr Yushchenko 11% ahead.
Yesterday Mr Yushchenko's team called for continued civil disobedience and issued a statement saying: "We appeal to the parliaments and nations of the world to bolster the will of the Ukrainian people, to support their aspiration to return to democracy".
Mr Yushchenko spent some of the day negotiating with local authorities, his spokeswoman said, many of which have backed his victory claim.
The outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, said the demonstrations were a "political farce", but last night called for talks to defuse the crisis (which, coincidentally, came on the first anniversary of the peaceful revolution in Georgia, another former Soviet republic). Mr Kuchma said: "I am convinced today this is the only route in the search for a balanced position on not allowing Ukraine to split in pieces."
In a telephone conversation with the Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, he said that US and EU criticism of the election would "only cause the situation in Ukraine to worsen and may provoke unforeseen consequences".
The tension generated by the election worsened when Washington accused the government of fixing the vote and Russia backed Mr Yanukovich.
Late last night Ms Tymoshenko said the opposition would accept the offer of talks.
Elite police units and tens of thousands of police officers remained on high alert in the capital, the press ministry told Interfax, answering reports that some officers had turned to the opposition.
Vladimir Putin, who congratulated Mr Yanukovich on on winning on Monday, seemed to backtrack yesterday when he said in Lisbon that criticism of the election was "inadmissible", as the final result was not yet known. He also urged a non-violent solution, and said that Ukraine "doesn't need to be lectured".
Russia said the EU's statements "openly instigated the opposition to take illegal actions".
Mr Yushchenko's presidential oath capped a day of turmoil at the parliament. The speaker, Volodimir Litvyn, said it did not have any real consequences and was "a political act".
At 11am Mr Yushchenko called on a crowd of more than 50,000 in Independence Square to head towards parliament. Several thousand of his supporters had camped out all night in the square, erecting barricades of polystyrene blocks, wood and benches as rumours circulated of an attack by police or supporters of Mr Yanukovich.
As tension mounted before the 2pm emergency session, a large crowd swelled to surround three of parliament's flanks. Tense special forces troops guarded the building. One said: "I am here to protect order. Do you think this lot should be allowed to trash the building?"
Inside, the corridors around the chamber filled with cigarette smoke and anxious MPs.
Pacing the corridors, opposition MP Oleksandr Gudima said the opposition was considering two options. The first was a vote to declare the election null and void. Such a move was constitutional, he said, despite claims that the president had to initiate the vote. The second option was that Mr Yushchenko would be sworn in on the Bible.
Talk of possible confrontation grew. Vladimir, a former MP and now a colonel in the navy, said the army "do not want conflict. They are for Yushchenko and against a former convict [Mr Yanukovich]".
Protesters outside parliament grew jubilant as they awaited the arrival of Mr Yushchenko. MP Giorgi Yavorski shook his fist in triumph at the demonstration, and said: "They are on the streets everywhere, nearly half a million of them."
The opposition spokeswoman, Irina Gerashenko, said Mr Yushchenko was not in negotiations with the government. "The source of power is the people," she said, pointing at the crowds. As the emergency session began, the speaker told MPs: "We are sliding towards the abyss. It is amoral and criminal to pretend nothing is happening in the country. We must act in good time otherwise the people will decide on our behalf tomorrow."
The session was hamstrung, however, as Mr Yanukovich's supporters did not attend. There were 35 MPs short of the 226 required for the chamber to be able to pass a vote.
At the end of the session Mr Yushchenko took the stand: "Ukraine stands today on the brink of a civil conflict. Yanukovich did not want to see honest elections, he was exerting administrative pressure."
He accused his opponent of "trampling on the nation" and President Kuchma of failing "to carry out his function as guarantor [of] the rights of the voter". He then swore a presidential oath, reportedly on the Bible. After the vote, supporters flooded on to the streets.
"It's such a farce," a Yanukovich supporter was heard saying on his phone.
Rallies were reported in the eastern town of Kharkhiv, and in Chernovtsy, Sumy, Zhitomir, Poltava, Lutsk and Khmelnitsky, while the western towns of Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk declared Mr Yushchenko president.
The people speak: 'This is only a start'
Haras
Protesting outside parliament
I am here to support Yushchenko. Ninety-four per cent of people in the western town of Ternopil, from where I come, voted for him. He is the best - a real good man. We hoped that Ukraine could take a different road, but there was falsification and now this is our last chance.
Misha
Camped out on the central street of Kreshatik
I work as an electrician in a private firm. I am here with my colleagues as we need to fight for our choice. I will stay here until the end, whether there is rain, snow or the military.
Volodiya
With a group of buses parked in Kiev carrying Yanukovich supporters
Yanukovich is the best man for the job. Where we live, in Donetsk, he ensures wages are paid on time and that there is order. We are here on a small trip to the capital to show we care. Of course we were not paid to come here. We have the right to travel and express our opinion as anyone does.
Alexei
Computer programmer, in Independence Square
This is the sort of chance that comes along once in every hundred years. We can change the country and turn towards Europe, live like people do in the west. I can be here as long as it takes. My boss is pro-Yushchenko and so I do not have to go to work.
Valentin Galyeta
Pensioner
I do not want to live in a bandit country. I am ready to march on the Central Election Commission to defend my right. The exit polls cannot be wrong - they show Yushchenko 11 points ahead with a 1% to 2% margin of error. This is only the start. There will be a million of us soon, 300,000 of which will come from the army.
Sasha
Taxi driver and Afghan war veteran in Kiev
I voted for Yushchenko. If Yanukovich, who has been in court three times, can get elected, then what I am doing driving this car? I am not going to get involved in the protests at all and neither are any of my friends. Whoever wins, it will not change my life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1358078,00.html
Nick Paton Walsh in Kiev
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
After two days of protests that brought Kiev to a standstill, Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared yesterday that he had won Sunday's presidential run-off vote, and symbolically took the presidential oath before fewer than half of the national assembly's MPs.
Hours later, tens of thousands of protesters marched on the parliament buildings.
"We are going to go to the presidential administration in a peaceful way, without breaking anything," said Yulia Tymoshenko, who heads a faction in parliament backing Mr Yushchenko.
"Either they will give up their power, or we will take it."
The opposition created a tent city on the central street and demanded the reversal of the official results, which give the pro-Russian prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, a 3% lead.
An exit poll funded by western embassies put Mr Yushchenko 11% ahead.
Yesterday Mr Yushchenko's team called for continued civil disobedience and issued a statement saying: "We appeal to the parliaments and nations of the world to bolster the will of the Ukrainian people, to support their aspiration to return to democracy".
Mr Yushchenko spent some of the day negotiating with local authorities, his spokeswoman said, many of which have backed his victory claim.
The outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, said the demonstrations were a "political farce", but last night called for talks to defuse the crisis (which, coincidentally, came on the first anniversary of the peaceful revolution in Georgia, another former Soviet republic). Mr Kuchma said: "I am convinced today this is the only route in the search for a balanced position on not allowing Ukraine to split in pieces."
In a telephone conversation with the Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, he said that US and EU criticism of the election would "only cause the situation in Ukraine to worsen and may provoke unforeseen consequences".
The tension generated by the election worsened when Washington accused the government of fixing the vote and Russia backed Mr Yanukovich.
Late last night Ms Tymoshenko said the opposition would accept the offer of talks.
Elite police units and tens of thousands of police officers remained on high alert in the capital, the press ministry told Interfax, answering reports that some officers had turned to the opposition.
Vladimir Putin, who congratulated Mr Yanukovich on on winning on Monday, seemed to backtrack yesterday when he said in Lisbon that criticism of the election was "inadmissible", as the final result was not yet known. He also urged a non-violent solution, and said that Ukraine "doesn't need to be lectured".
Russia said the EU's statements "openly instigated the opposition to take illegal actions".
Mr Yushchenko's presidential oath capped a day of turmoil at the parliament. The speaker, Volodimir Litvyn, said it did not have any real consequences and was "a political act".
At 11am Mr Yushchenko called on a crowd of more than 50,000 in Independence Square to head towards parliament. Several thousand of his supporters had camped out all night in the square, erecting barricades of polystyrene blocks, wood and benches as rumours circulated of an attack by police or supporters of Mr Yanukovich.
As tension mounted before the 2pm emergency session, a large crowd swelled to surround three of parliament's flanks. Tense special forces troops guarded the building. One said: "I am here to protect order. Do you think this lot should be allowed to trash the building?"
Inside, the corridors around the chamber filled with cigarette smoke and anxious MPs.
Pacing the corridors, opposition MP Oleksandr Gudima said the opposition was considering two options. The first was a vote to declare the election null and void. Such a move was constitutional, he said, despite claims that the president had to initiate the vote. The second option was that Mr Yushchenko would be sworn in on the Bible.
Talk of possible confrontation grew. Vladimir, a former MP and now a colonel in the navy, said the army "do not want conflict. They are for Yushchenko and against a former convict [Mr Yanukovich]".
Protesters outside parliament grew jubilant as they awaited the arrival of Mr Yushchenko. MP Giorgi Yavorski shook his fist in triumph at the demonstration, and said: "They are on the streets everywhere, nearly half a million of them."
The opposition spokeswoman, Irina Gerashenko, said Mr Yushchenko was not in negotiations with the government. "The source of power is the people," she said, pointing at the crowds. As the emergency session began, the speaker told MPs: "We are sliding towards the abyss. It is amoral and criminal to pretend nothing is happening in the country. We must act in good time otherwise the people will decide on our behalf tomorrow."
The session was hamstrung, however, as Mr Yanukovich's supporters did not attend. There were 35 MPs short of the 226 required for the chamber to be able to pass a vote.
At the end of the session Mr Yushchenko took the stand: "Ukraine stands today on the brink of a civil conflict. Yanukovich did not want to see honest elections, he was exerting administrative pressure."
He accused his opponent of "trampling on the nation" and President Kuchma of failing "to carry out his function as guarantor [of] the rights of the voter". He then swore a presidential oath, reportedly on the Bible. After the vote, supporters flooded on to the streets.
"It's such a farce," a Yanukovich supporter was heard saying on his phone.
Rallies were reported in the eastern town of Kharkhiv, and in Chernovtsy, Sumy, Zhitomir, Poltava, Lutsk and Khmelnitsky, while the western towns of Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk declared Mr Yushchenko president.
The people speak: 'This is only a start'
Haras
Protesting outside parliament
I am here to support Yushchenko. Ninety-four per cent of people in the western town of Ternopil, from where I come, voted for him. He is the best - a real good man. We hoped that Ukraine could take a different road, but there was falsification and now this is our last chance.
Misha
Camped out on the central street of Kreshatik
I work as an electrician in a private firm. I am here with my colleagues as we need to fight for our choice. I will stay here until the end, whether there is rain, snow or the military.
Volodiya
With a group of buses parked in Kiev carrying Yanukovich supporters
Yanukovich is the best man for the job. Where we live, in Donetsk, he ensures wages are paid on time and that there is order. We are here on a small trip to the capital to show we care. Of course we were not paid to come here. We have the right to travel and express our opinion as anyone does.
Alexei
Computer programmer, in Independence Square
This is the sort of chance that comes along once in every hundred years. We can change the country and turn towards Europe, live like people do in the west. I can be here as long as it takes. My boss is pro-Yushchenko and so I do not have to go to work.
Valentin Galyeta
Pensioner
I do not want to live in a bandit country. I am ready to march on the Central Election Commission to defend my right. The exit polls cannot be wrong - they show Yushchenko 11 points ahead with a 1% to 2% margin of error. This is only the start. There will be a million of us soon, 300,000 of which will come from the army.
Sasha
Taxi driver and Afghan war veteran in Kiev
I voted for Yushchenko. If Yanukovich, who has been in court three times, can get elected, then what I am doing driving this car? I am not going to get involved in the protests at all and neither are any of my friends. Whoever wins, it will not change my life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1358078,00.html
Thousands of opposition supporters have been demonstrating outside Ukrainian government offices in a second night of protests over presidential elections.
Tens of thousands more rallied nearby in Kiev's Independence Square to protest against the official victory for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
The rallies were peaceful, and most protesters went home for the night.
Opposition leaders said they had accepted an offer of talks from outgoing President Leonid Kuchma.
Viktor Yushchenko, the opposition challenger who says the vote was rigged against him, earlier appealed for police support.
"Ukraine needs you, come over to our side," he urged police and civil servants.
Read More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4036867.stm
Tens of thousands more rallied nearby in Kiev's Independence Square to protest against the official victory for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
The rallies were peaceful, and most protesters went home for the night.
Opposition leaders said they had accepted an offer of talks from outgoing President Leonid Kuchma.
Viktor Yushchenko, the opposition challenger who says the vote was rigged against him, earlier appealed for police support.
"Ukraine needs you, come over to our side," he urged police and civil servants.
Read More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4036867.stm
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