Post-election developments in Ukraine, 2004
Encyclopedia
Below is the timeline of events that followed the runoff presidential election
held in Ukraine
on 21 November 2004 that sparked off the "Orange Revolution
".
. The first poll, conducted by several Ukrainian research organisations, gave Yuchshenko 54% of the vote, against Viktor Yanukovych
's 43%. The results were based on the answers of 77% of 30,000 voters questioned at nearly 500 polling stations around the country. The second poll, conducted by Ukraine's Social Monitoring Centre, put Yushchenko ahead by 49.5% to 45.9%. These results were disputed by the Yanukovych campaign team, who quoted their own exit polls giving their candidate a 3% to 5% lead.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters, including members of the Pora
student movement, gathered in Independence Square in Kiev
to see the results broadcast live on television.
of Independence and protect their freedom."
The same night in Kiev
have arrived armored vehicles. BTR
s have appeared next to the building of CEC. Under the reinforced security was taken the building complex of the presidential administration
. The order in the capital was carried out by several ten thousands of military personnel of the Internal Affairs and spetsnaz
.
Ukraine's CEC announced that with 99% of the vote counted, Yanukovych had 49.4% of the vote while Yushchenko had 46.7%. This was rejected by the opposition, with Yushchenko called on supporters to protest "the total falsification of the vote." The rally in Kiev grew in size while large demonstrations were also held elsewhere in Ukraine. Some of the demonstrators set up tents in Kiev's Independence Square. Later that night, Yushchenko told supporters to stay in the square overnight to keep the tent encampment safe from security forces, who wanted to dismantle it.
City councils of four major cities in Western Ukraine, including L'viv and Ivano-Frankivs'k, refused to recognize the official results and declared that Yushchenko had won the election. The chairman of the Russian State Duma
Boris Gryzlov
acting as the observer estimated the declared results as final and congratulated Viktor Yanukovich with the victory. Following that same thing did Vladimir Putin
.
Not paying attention to the cold weather and fear caused by the relocation of the military vehicles and the special operations personnel, the supporters of Yuschenko gathered around 100-150 thousands of followers. To the meeting came all of the leaders of the opposition, Viktor Yuschenko, Yulia Timoshenko, the leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
Oleksandr Moroz
, the head of the Party of industrialists and entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh
.
Yuschenko calls the Ukrainians to the organized resistance movement. Timoshenko calls to start the mass strikes in industries and higher level educational institutions, close all the roads, airports, and railways.
The Yuschenko administration requests for an extraordinary seating of the Rada, annul the election in the Donetsk
and Luhansk oblast
s where after the closing of the electoral districts no observers or journalists were allowed.
On the Khreschatyk
and adjacent to it streets and squares were installed numerous tent-cities of the PORA
organization.
The chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Richard Lugar declared: "Now it became apparent that the aggressive and powerful plan of falsification and infringement at the day of election was conducted whether under the coordination or cooperation with the government." The chairman of the foreign affairs committee
of the Europarliament Elmar Brok
threatens Ukraine with financial sanctions if the information about the falsification will be confirmed. The Russian ambassador in Washington, D.C.
, Yuri Ushakov
, was invited for a discussion with the assistant of the United States Secretary of State
A. Elizabeth Jones
who expresses concerns of rushing when the President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin
congratulated Viktor Yanukovich.
, Ukraine's parliament
, in the hope that it would discuss the accusations of fraud and come to a solution. Thousands of people travelled to the capital from across Ukraine, though their journeys were disrupted by government closures of major roads and airports. Similar gatherings of protesters took place in other major cities, especially L'viv.
In a session of parliament boycotted by supporters of Yanukovych, Yushchenko took the oaths of president, though the parliament lacked the quorum
to do this legally. The oath-swearing was thus of purely symbolic value.
Yushchenko urged his supporters to engage in a series of nationwide general strike
s – an "Orange Revolution
", after his campaign color – with the intent of crippling the government and forcing Yanukovych to concede defeat. Hundreds of tents were erected in Kiev's Independence Square and the nearby Lenin Library was taken over to serve as the protesters' headquarters. The protesters also blockaded the Council of Ministers in Kiev, paralysing the government.
ordered the Central Election Commission not to publish the election results until the opposition's charges of electoral fraud had been addressed. This was seen as a major victory for the opposition, as it effectively suspended official recognition of the results.
Round table
talks organized by the out-going President Leonid Kuchma
began between Yanukovych and Yushchenko. At Kuchma's request high-level foreign mediators also took part in the talks. These were: Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski
, Lithuania
n President Valdas Adamkus
, Russian Duma
Speaker Boris Gryzlov
, European Union
's foreign policy chief Javier Solana
and OSCE
Secretary General Ján Kubiš
. Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn
, was also present at the round table. (ABC News)
Television coverage of the opposition rallies, which had hitherto been patchy, was now greatly increased and opposition statements were widely reported for the first time. However, local television stations in Yanukovych's heartland of eastern Ukraine continued to toe the government line by not screening images of the demonstrations.
On the same day the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada
, declared the poll results invalid, and also passed a vote of no confidence in Ukraine's Central Election Commission. The declaration was, however, not binding and did not overturn the need for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling. (BBC)
was raised when governors of eastern and southern regions met with Yanukovych and Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov
in Syeverodonetsk, Luhansk region, to discuss autonomy or a separate republic for the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine. Boris Kolesnikov, president of the Donetsk region council, suggested turning Ukraine into a federation
and creating a new autonomous republic of "Southern Ukraine" with its capital in Kharkiv
. Yushchenko criticized these ideas as anti-constitutional, and observers suggested that Yanukovych's apparent support for separatism had damaged the standing of the government side.
Over 10,000 IM (Internal Ministry) troops mobilized to put down the protests in Independence Square in Kiev according to their commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Popkov. The SBU (Ukrainian Security Service, successor to KGB) warned opposition leaders of the crackdown. Oleksandev Galaka, head of GRU (military intelligence) made calls to "prevent bloodshed". Col. Gen. Ihor P. Smesko (SBU chief) and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Romanchenko (military counter-intelligence chief) both warned Popkov to pull back his troops, which he did.
On November 29, Yanukovych's campaign manager
, Serhiy Tyhypko, announced his resignation from both his position in the Yanukovych campaign and his position as the head of the National Bank of Ukraine. Asked by Channel 5 TV on whether he would possibly run for president if repeat elections went forward, Tyhypko replied positively. Yanukovych reacted angrily to Tyhypko's move, calling him a "mischievous cat".
At the same time, the opposition seemed to suffer a setback as the Ukrainian parliament initially failed to pass a motion of no confidence
in the Yanukovych government.
in the Yanukovych government with 229 votes in favour and voted to create a "government of national trust." The vote urges President Leonid Kuchma to dismiss Yanukovych and appoint a caretaker prime minister, who would probably be parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn
. Kuchma has the option of rejecting the vote but the parliament can override his veto with a new vote that would need to attract a two-thirds majority (301 of the 450 deputies). Although he has not commented publicly on the vote, his aides have reportedly rejected it.
On the same day, the round table talks were resumed. As a gesture of goodwill, Yuschenko agreed to tell his supporters to cease their blockade of official buildings in Kiev so that government work could resume.
Yanukovych's camp submitted a complaint to the Ukrainian Supreme Court protesting alleged irregularities in Yuschenko-supporting regions of Ukraine and Kiev. With both camps now complaining that the election results were falsified and appealing for an annulment, the likelihood of the Supreme Court declaring the results invalid was seen to have increased significantly.
met in Moscow to discuss the ongoing crisis. The two presidents issued a statement calling for an entirely new election—not just a re-run of the disputed second round. This proposal was rejected by Yushchenko's camp, as it would allow Kuchma to stay in power for several more months and could break the momentum of the opposition. Yushchenko declared that he would hold out for an immediate re-run.
President George W. Bush also issued a statement, saying that any new poll should be open, fair and free of foreign influence, and that the will of the Ukrainian people must be known and heard.
Fears were expressed about the damage the crisis could cause to Ukraine's economy. The national currency, the hryvnia, continued to fall against other currencies and the Ukrainian Central Bank imposed a limit on cash withdrawals on all banks to guard against a run on the currency developing.
This would be a re-run of the run-off vote only, rather than the wholly new election in three months' time which President Kuchma and Putin had supported. The Yushchenko camp attacked in court the validity of the second round only, and therefore the Supreme Court could only annul the results of the second round. For the first round to be also annulled and repeated (as the Kuchma/Yanukovych camp desired), further evidence would have had to be brought in that would challenge the validity of the first vote. Neither side, however, chose to do that. Both sides committed themselves to abiding by the court's decision, which they regarded as final.
Meanwhile, the Parliament voted to ask outgoing President Leonid Kuchma to withdraw the country's 1,600 troops from Iraq
. The proposal was suggested by the Communist group, and passed by 257 out of the 450-member parliament. Both presidential candidates had previously supported a Ukrainian withdrawal.
On this day the Ukrainian parliament failed to adopt election law changes that were requested by the Yushchenko faction. Kuchma accused him of reneging on agreements made on an earlier date. The Socialist
and the Communist
Parties had agreed to vote in favour of the electoral changes if the opposition in turn supported constitutional changes meant to lessen the power of the President in favour of the Prime Minister and the Parliament. However that agreement fell through when Yushchenko said that constitutional changes would be considered only after the elections.
television Yushchenko asked for the international community not to interfere in the new election, although he welcomed foreign observers.
Yushchenko's most prominent ally, the politician and businesswoman Yulia Tymoshenko
, stated that she would like to be appointed prime minister if Yushchenko wins.
In his first interview since the Supreme Court ruling, President Kuchma pledged to abide by its decision and ruled out any repressive measures, such as the use of force or the introduction of a state of emergency. He also said that he was prepared to reform the 15-member Central Election Commission, which had been strongly criticised for apparently colluding in the fixing of the run-off vote. However, he refused to meet demands to sack Yanukovych, potentially setting up a fresh confrontation with the Ukrainian parliament, which had earlier passed a motion of no confidence in the government.
, Russia's President Putin strongly warned against foreign interference in Ukraine's new election, accusing Western countries of trying to impose their definition of democracy on Ukraine.
Yushchenko continued to campaign for amendments to the election laws that would ban voting by absentee ballots and voting in people's homes, both of which were seen as being among the most abused election provisions in the first two votes. He also rejected proposals by Kuchma that the powers of the president should be diluted and partially given to the parliament, in which pro-Yanukovych forces are still powerful.
The reform package received the approval of 402 of the 450 parliamentary deputies (with 21 votes against and 19 abstentions) and was immediately signed into law by President Kuchma. In response, the opposition agreed to end the blockade of government buildings from 1900 (local time) on December 8.
The reforms shift the balance of power within Ukraine, moving from the strong presidential system to a parliamentary system. The outcome is seen as a compromise between the rival camps, as the new election rules will improve Yushchenko's chances of victory but the constitutional changes will enable the Kuchma/Yanukovych camp to exercise influence through parliament and the regions following the election.
Kuchma granted Yanukovych leave of absence to contest the December 26 election, and appointed First Deputy Prime Minister Mykola Azarov
to serve as acting prime minister.
reported that Austrian doctors had confirmed that Yuschenko's mysterious illness was due to poisoning from a biological or chemical agent. Doctor Michael Zimpfer, president of the Rudolfinerhaus clinic, stated that his illness had resulted from "high concentrations of dioxin, most likely orally administered". http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7061548
, in a live TV broadcast of the Commission meeting, officially announced that Viktor Yushchenko
won the presidential elections. Results of the repeated second round are as follows:
temporarily suspended the publication of the official results of the election, until the appeal of Yanukovych regarding the results would be considered by the Court.
announced its decision to decline the appeal of Yanukovych. Election results (Act No. 14 of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine
dated 10 January 2005) are being published in the official newspapers of the Verkhovna Rada
and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
.
The Verkhovna Rada
of Ukraine terminated the authority of Viktor Yushchenko
as the parliamentary member (on his request). The parliament also designated 23 January 2005, 12 p.m. (Kiev time), as the day and time of the ceremonial assembly to hold the inauguration
.
acting prime minister
.
Ukrainian presidential election, 2004
The Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 was held on October 31, November 21 and December 26, 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union...
held in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
on 21 November 2004 that sparked off the "Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
".
21 November
Shortly after the polling stations closed in the evening, several exit polls were released showing a substantial lead for Viktor YushchenkoViktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
. The first poll, conducted by several Ukrainian research organisations, gave Yuchshenko 54% of the vote, against Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
's 43%. The results were based on the answers of 77% of 30,000 voters questioned at nearly 500 polling stations around the country. The second poll, conducted by Ukraine's Social Monitoring Centre, put Yushchenko ahead by 49.5% to 45.9%. These results were disputed by the Yanukovych campaign team, who quoted their own exit polls giving their candidate a 3% to 5% lead.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters, including members of the Pora
Pora
PORA! , meaning IT'S TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization and political party in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy...
student movement, gathered in Independence Square in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
to see the results broadcast live on television.
22 November
At 02:00 the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine has announced that after 33% of accounted votes ahead is Viktor Yanukovich with 50% for him and 46% for Viktor Yuschenko. That data sharply deviated with the results of several groups of sociologists who in the instant after the end of all voting declared of the Yuschenko's victory. The last one goes to CEC to meet with its chairman Serhiy Kivalov. After the meeting behind the close doors Yuschenko announces: "We do not trust the accountability of the Central Election Commission. We call on our supporters to come on to MaidanMaidan
Maidan or Maydan is a Persian word meaning "town square". It may refer to:- Squares and parks :* Maidan , a park in Kolkata, India* Maidan Nezalezhnosti, "Independence Square", the central square of Kiev, capital of Ukraine...
of Independence and protect their freedom."
The same night in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
have arrived armored vehicles. BTR
Bronetransporter
A Bronyetransportyor or BTR , literally "armoured transporter" is any of a series of Soviet or post-Soviet military armoured personnel carriers, made for transporting Bronies....
s have appeared next to the building of CEC. Under the reinforced security was taken the building complex of the presidential administration
Secretariat of the President of Ukraine
The Presidential Administration or unofficially Bankova is an administrative body set up to assist the President of Ukraine, Ukraine's head of state. The main purpose of the Administration is to provide administrative, advisory, analytical, and legal assistance to the President...
. The order in the capital was carried out by several ten thousands of military personnel of the Internal Affairs and spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
.
Ukraine's CEC announced that with 99% of the vote counted, Yanukovych had 49.4% of the vote while Yushchenko had 46.7%. This was rejected by the opposition, with Yushchenko called on supporters to protest "the total falsification of the vote." The rally in Kiev grew in size while large demonstrations were also held elsewhere in Ukraine. Some of the demonstrators set up tents in Kiev's Independence Square. Later that night, Yushchenko told supporters to stay in the square overnight to keep the tent encampment safe from security forces, who wanted to dismantle it.
- "We have received information that authorities want to destroy our tent city at 3 a.m. ... At two o'clock there should be more of us than now. We must defend every chestnut tree, every tent. We must show to the authorities we are here for a long time... There must be more and more of us here every hour."
City councils of four major cities in Western Ukraine, including L'viv and Ivano-Frankivs'k, refused to recognize the official results and declared that Yushchenko had won the election. The chairman of the Russian State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
Boris Gryzlov
Boris Gryzlov
Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov , is a Russian politician and current Speaker of Russia's State Duma . He is one of the leaders of the largest Russian political party, United Russia...
acting as the observer estimated the declared results as final and congratulated Viktor Yanukovich with the victory. Following that same thing did Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
.
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
Oleksandr Moroz
Oleksandr Moroz
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Moroz is a Ukrainian statesman and politician. He was the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine twice: July 2006 to September 2007, and previously in 1994 through 1998. Moroz is one of the founders and leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, which was an influential...
, the head of the Party of industrialists and entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh
Anatoliy Kinakh
Anatoliy Kyrylovych Kinakh is a Ukrainian politician and honorary professor at the Mykolaiv Government Humanitarian University. Kinakh is a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 6th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament...
.
Yuschenko calls the Ukrainians to the organized resistance movement. Timoshenko calls to start the mass strikes in industries and higher level educational institutions, close all the roads, airports, and railways.
The Yuschenko administration requests for an extraordinary seating of the Rada, annul the election in the Donetsk
Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
and Luhansk oblast
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
s where after the closing of the electoral districts no observers or journalists were allowed.
On the Khreschatyk
Khreschatyk
Khreshchatyk is the main street of Kiev, Ukraine. The street has a length of 1.2 km. It stretches from the European Square through the Maidan and to Bessarabska Square where the Besarabsky Market is located....
and adjacent to it streets and squares were installed numerous tent-cities of the PORA
Pora
PORA! , meaning IT'S TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization and political party in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy...
organization.
The chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It is charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid programs as...
Richard Lugar declared: "Now it became apparent that the aggressive and powerful plan of falsification and infringement at the day of election was conducted whether under the coordination or cooperation with the government." The chairman of the foreign affairs committee
Committee on Foreign Affairs (EU)
The Committee on Foreign Affairs , previously called Political Affairs, is a committee of the European Parliament...
of the Europarliament Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok is a German Member of the European Parliament and the former Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was elected on the CDU ticket and sits with the European People's Party group...
threatens Ukraine with financial sanctions if the information about the falsification will be confirmed. The Russian ambassador in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Yuri Ushakov
Yuri Ushakov
Yuri Viktorovich Ushakov is a Russian career diplomat. He is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations and was appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States in January 1999....
, was invited for a discussion with the assistant of the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
A. Elizabeth Jones
A. Elizabeth Jones
A. Elizabeth Jones served as the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, from 1995 to 1997. She served as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia in 2003. She was promoted to the rank of Career Ambassador in 2004....
who expresses concerns of rushing when the President of the Russian Federation
President of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
congratulated Viktor Yanukovich.
23 November
Approximately 100,000 Yushchenko supporters gathered in Kiev awaiting a session of the Verkhovna RadaVerkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
, Ukraine's parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, in the hope that it would discuss the accusations of fraud and come to a solution. Thousands of people travelled to the capital from across Ukraine, though their journeys were disrupted by government closures of major roads and airports. Similar gatherings of protesters took place in other major cities, especially L'viv.
In a session of parliament boycotted by supporters of Yanukovych, Yushchenko took the oaths of president, though the parliament lacked the quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
to do this legally. The oath-swearing was thus of purely symbolic value.
24 November
Rumours circulated that Yanukovych and Yushchenko had agreed to hold talks to negotiate over the disputed election results; this was later denied, with the government opposition refusing to meet Yanukovych. Protests continued into a third day in Kiev after an appeal by Yushchenko for their continuation. More supporters of both sides arrived at the city from outlying areas of the country. Riot police were called to protect the election commission building.Yushchenko urged his supporters to engage in a series of nationwide general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
s – an "Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
", after his campaign color – with the intent of crippling the government and forcing Yanukovych to concede defeat. Hundreds of tents were erected in Kiev's Independence Square and the nearby Lenin Library was taken over to serve as the protesters' headquarters. The protesters also blockaded the Council of Ministers in Kiev, paralysing the government.
25 November
The Ukrainian Supreme CourtJudicial system of Ukraine
The judicial system of Ukraine is outlined in the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine. Before this there was no notion of judicial review nor any Supreme Court since 1991's Ukrainian independence....
ordered the Central Election Commission not to publish the election results until the opposition's charges of electoral fraud had been addressed. This was seen as a major victory for the opposition, as it effectively suspended official recognition of the results.
26 November
Round table
A round table is a table which has no "head" and no "sides", and therefore no one person sitting at it is given a privileged position and all are treated as equals. The idea stems from the Arthurian legend about the Knights of the Round Table in Camelot....
talks organized by the out-going President Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
began between Yanukovych and Yushchenko. At Kuchma's request high-level foreign mediators also took part in the talks. These were: Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n President Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus was President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009.In Lithuania, the President's tenure lasts for five years; Adamkus' first term in office began on February 26, 1998 and ended on February 28, 2003, following his defeat by Rolandas Paksas in the next...
, Russian Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
Speaker Boris Gryzlov
Boris Gryzlov
Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov , is a Russian politician and current Speaker of Russia's State Duma . He is one of the leaders of the largest Russian political party, United Russia...
, European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's foreign policy chief Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
and OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
Secretary General Ján Kubiš
Ján Kubiš
Ján Kubiš is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia from July 2006 until January 2009....
. Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn is a Ukrainian politician and the current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until 2006, he was re-elected in December 2008 after his party agreed to join the former coalition of Yulia...
, was also present at the round table. (ABC News)
Television coverage of the opposition rallies, which had hitherto been patchy, was now greatly increased and opposition statements were widely reported for the first time. However, local television stations in Yanukovych's heartland of eastern Ukraine continued to toe the government line by not screening images of the demonstrations.
27 November
After failing to reach an agreement with Yanukovych, Yushchenko announced that he would only agree to further negotiations if they would be on the subject of holding another vote. (Washington Times)On the same day the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
, declared the poll results invalid, and also passed a vote of no confidence in Ukraine's Central Election Commission. The declaration was, however, not binding and did not overturn the need for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling. (BBC)
28 November
The issue of separatismSeparatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
was raised when governors of eastern and southern regions met with Yanukovych and Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov
Yuriy Luzhkov
Yury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov is a Russian politician who was the Mayor of Moscow from 1992 to 2010. He was also vice-chairman and one of the founders of the ruling United Russia party....
in Syeverodonetsk, Luhansk region, to discuss autonomy or a separate republic for the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine. Boris Kolesnikov, president of the Donetsk region council, suggested turning Ukraine into a federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
and creating a new autonomous republic of "Southern Ukraine" with its capital in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
. Yushchenko criticized these ideas as anti-constitutional, and observers suggested that Yanukovych's apparent support for separatism had damaged the standing of the government side.
Over 10,000 IM (Internal Ministry) troops mobilized to put down the protests in Independence Square in Kiev according to their commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Popkov. The SBU (Ukrainian Security Service, successor to KGB) warned opposition leaders of the crackdown. Oleksandev Galaka, head of GRU (military intelligence) made calls to "prevent bloodshed". Col. Gen. Ihor P. Smesko (SBU chief) and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Romanchenko (military counter-intelligence chief) both warned Popkov to pull back his troops, which he did.
29 November and 30 November
Talks were held between the government and opposition but ended inconclusively, with Yushchenko reportedly refusing an offer from Yanukovych of the post of prime minister if the opposition accepted Yanukovych as president. Yanukovych's alternative suggestion was a fresh election with neither himself nor Yushchenko as candidates; this was also rejected. The outgoing president Leonid Kuchma announced that he would support holding an entirely new presidential election, not just a re-run of the disputed second round.On November 29, Yanukovych's campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
, Serhiy Tyhypko, announced his resignation from both his position in the Yanukovych campaign and his position as the head of the National Bank of Ukraine. Asked by Channel 5 TV on whether he would possibly run for president if repeat elections went forward, Tyhypko replied positively. Yanukovych reacted angrily to Tyhypko's move, calling him a "mischievous cat".
At the same time, the opposition seemed to suffer a setback as the Ukrainian parliament initially failed to pass a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Yanukovych government.
1 December
The Ukrainian parliament passed a motion of no confidenceMotion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Yanukovych government with 229 votes in favour and voted to create a "government of national trust." The vote urges President Leonid Kuchma to dismiss Yanukovych and appoint a caretaker prime minister, who would probably be parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn is a Ukrainian politician and the current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until 2006, he was re-elected in December 2008 after his party agreed to join the former coalition of Yulia...
. Kuchma has the option of rejecting the vote but the parliament can override his veto with a new vote that would need to attract a two-thirds majority (301 of the 450 deputies). Although he has not commented publicly on the vote, his aides have reportedly rejected it.
On the same day, the round table talks were resumed. As a gesture of goodwill, Yuschenko agreed to tell his supporters to cease their blockade of official buildings in Kiev so that government work could resume.
Yanukovych's camp submitted a complaint to the Ukrainian Supreme Court protesting alleged irregularities in Yuschenko-supporting regions of Ukraine and Kiev. With both camps now complaining that the election results were falsified and appealing for an annulment, the likelihood of the Supreme Court declaring the results invalid was seen to have increased significantly.
2 December
Presidents Kuchma and Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
met in Moscow to discuss the ongoing crisis. The two presidents issued a statement calling for an entirely new election—not just a re-run of the disputed second round. This proposal was rejected by Yushchenko's camp, as it would allow Kuchma to stay in power for several more months and could break the momentum of the opposition. Yushchenko declared that he would hold out for an immediate re-run.
President George W. Bush also issued a statement, saying that any new poll should be open, fair and free of foreign influence, and that the will of the Ukrainian people must be known and heard.
Fears were expressed about the damage the crisis could cause to Ukraine's economy. The national currency, the hryvnia, continued to fall against other currencies and the Ukrainian Central Bank imposed a limit on cash withdrawals on all banks to guard against a run on the currency developing.
3 December
After five days of deliberations, Ukraine's Supreme Court declared the results of the run-off election to be invalid. The court's chairman, Anatoly Yarema, ordered that a repeat vote should take place within three weeks counting from December 5 (i.e. no later than 26 December).This would be a re-run of the run-off vote only, rather than the wholly new election in three months' time which President Kuchma and Putin had supported. The Yushchenko camp attacked in court the validity of the second round only, and therefore the Supreme Court could only annul the results of the second round. For the first round to be also annulled and repeated (as the Kuchma/Yanukovych camp desired), further evidence would have had to be brought in that would challenge the validity of the first vote. Neither side, however, chose to do that. Both sides committed themselves to abiding by the court's decision, which they regarded as final.
Meanwhile, the Parliament voted to ask outgoing President Leonid Kuchma to withdraw the country's 1,600 troops from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The proposal was suggested by the Communist group, and passed by 257 out of the 450-member parliament. Both presidential candidates had previously supported a Ukrainian withdrawal.
4 December
As Yushchenko supporters have received what they wanted from Ukraine's Supreme Court, protests calmed down in Kiev although supporters of the Orange Revolution remain in Independence Square.On this day the Ukrainian parliament failed to adopt election law changes that were requested by the Yushchenko faction. Kuchma accused him of reneging on agreements made on an earlier date. The Socialist
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
and the Communist
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
Parties had agreed to vote in favour of the electoral changes if the opposition in turn supported constitutional changes meant to lessen the power of the President in favour of the Prime Minister and the Parliament. However that agreement fell through when Yushchenko said that constitutional changes would be considered only after the elections.
5 December
In an interview on BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television Yushchenko asked for the international community not to interfere in the new election, although he welcomed foreign observers.
Yushchenko's most prominent ally, the politician and businesswoman Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
, stated that she would like to be appointed prime minister if Yushchenko wins.
In his first interview since the Supreme Court ruling, President Kuchma pledged to abide by its decision and ruled out any repressive measures, such as the use of force or the introduction of a state of emergency. He also said that he was prepared to reform the 15-member Central Election Commission, which had been strongly criticised for apparently colluding in the fixing of the run-off vote. However, he refused to meet demands to sack Yanukovych, potentially setting up a fresh confrontation with the Ukrainian parliament, which had earlier passed a motion of no confidence in the government.
6 December
Speaking in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Russia's President Putin strongly warned against foreign interference in Ukraine's new election, accusing Western countries of trying to impose their definition of democracy on Ukraine.
Yushchenko continued to campaign for amendments to the election laws that would ban voting by absentee ballots and voting in people's homes, both of which were seen as being among the most abused election provisions in the first two votes. He also rejected proposals by Kuchma that the powers of the president should be diluted and partially given to the parliament, in which pro-Yanukovych forces are still powerful.
7 December - 8 December
After several days of heated debate, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) agreed reform measures to change the electoral laws and institute changes to the governance of Ukraine. Key elements of the reforms include:- Changes to the Central Election Commission and dismissal of some of its members;
- Tighter rules on absentee ballots and home voting to reduce the possibility of ballot fraud;
- Reduced presidential powers, with the president confined to appointing only the prime minister, defence and foreign ministers, subject to the approval of parliament;
- Greater powers for the regions, to reduce tensions between the west and east of the country.
The reform package received the approval of 402 of the 450 parliamentary deputies (with 21 votes against and 19 abstentions) and was immediately signed into law by President Kuchma. In response, the opposition agreed to end the blockade of government buildings from 1900 (local time) on December 8.
The reforms shift the balance of power within Ukraine, moving from the strong presidential system to a parliamentary system. The outcome is seen as a compromise between the rival camps, as the new election rules will improve Yushchenko's chances of victory but the constitutional changes will enable the Kuchma/Yanukovych camp to exercise influence through parliament and the regions following the election.
Kuchma granted Yanukovych leave of absence to contest the December 26 election, and appointed First Deputy Prime Minister Mykola Azarov
Mykola Azarov
Mykola Yanovych Azarov ; born Nikolai Yanovich Pakhlo on 17 December 1947, is a Ukrainian politician who has been the Prime Minister of Ukraine since 11 March 2010. He was the First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 2002 to 2005 and again from 2006 to 2007, and he also served as acting...
to serve as acting prime minister.
11 December
The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported that Austrian doctors had confirmed that Yuschenko's mysterious illness was due to poisoning from a biological or chemical agent. Doctor Michael Zimpfer, president of the Rudolfinerhaus clinic, stated that his illness had resulted from "high concentrations of dioxin, most likely orally administered". http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7061548
6 January
Yanukovych will challenge his defeat of the runoff election at the Supreme Court on Thursday, even though he has acknowledged he has no hope of success. The appeal was later rejected.10 January
At 11:30 p.m. (Kiev time), the Central Election Commission of UkraineCentral Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ; sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine) is a permanent and independent collegiate body of the Ukrainian government.- Mission and Authority :...
, in a live TV broadcast of the Commission meeting, officially announced that Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
won the presidential elections. Results of the repeated second round are as follows:
| number of enlisted voters: | 37 657 704 | |
| number of handed-out ballots: | 29 073 276 | |
| number of votes cast: | 29 068 971 | |
| number of invalid ballots: | 422 492 | |
| votes for Yushchenko: | 15 115 712 | 51.99% |
| votes for Yanukovych: | 12 848 528 | 44.20% |
| votes against both: | 682 239 | 2.34% |
11 January
The Supreme Court of UkraineSupreme Court of Ukraine
The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the highest judicial body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction in Ukraine.The Court derives its authority from the Constitution of Ukraine, but much of its structure is outlined in legislation...
temporarily suspended the publication of the official results of the election, until the appeal of Yanukovych regarding the results would be considered by the Court.
20 January
At 2:40 a.m. (Kiev time), the Supreme Court of UkraineSupreme Court of Ukraine
The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the highest judicial body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction in Ukraine.The Court derives its authority from the Constitution of Ukraine, but much of its structure is outlined in legislation...
announced its decision to decline the appeal of Yanukovych. Election results (Act No. 14 of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine
Central Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ; sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine) is a permanent and independent collegiate body of the Ukrainian government.- Mission and Authority :...
dated 10 January 2005) are being published in the official newspapers of the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
.
The Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
of Ukraine terminated the authority of Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
as the parliamentary member (on his request). The parliament also designated 23 January 2005, 12 p.m. (Kiev time), as the day and time of the ceremonial assembly to hold the inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
.
23 January
At 12 o'clock PM (local time) Viktor Yushchenko is inaugurated as president of Ukraine.24 January
Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, appoints Yulia TymoshenkoYulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
acting prime minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
.
External links
- Central Election Commission of Ukraine (official results)
- Russian Information Agency (russian POV)
- Elections in Ukraine
- European Parliament resolution
- OSCE Statement
- Christian Science Monitor: One election, two Viktors
- International Support for Ukrainian Democracy
- Ukrainian Presidential Elections - 2nd Round Preliminary Report