KIEV, Ukraine -- Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has dropped her legal challenge against her rival's victory in Ukraine's presidential election, reports say.
Mrs Tymoshenko reportedly said she did not see any sense in pursuing the case against the winner, Viktor Yanukovych.
The Kiev court had suspended the result when Mrs Tymosheko appealed on Tuesday, claiming the poll was rigged.
International monitors deemed the vote free and fair, and Mr Yanukovych is due to be inaugurated on 25 February.
Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission's declaration on Sunday that Mr Yanukovych had won the vote by a margin of 3.48%.
Mrs Tymoshenko had so far rejected Mr Yanukovych's appeals for her to accept defeat, claiming the election was marred by "systemic, fundamental and general falsifications".
As recently as Friday she had appealed for the poll to be declared void, saying: "I cannot accept double standards and I cannot give up".
Saturday, 20 February 2010
World To Yulia: You Lost! Yulia To World: I Was Robbed!
KIEV, Ukraine -- The door to Ukraine’s presidency has all but been shut in the face of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. But now she has managed to stick her foot in just before the door closed. She won a court ruling that suspended the results of the Feb. 7 runoff, pending an investigation into her allegations of election fraud.
Nevertheless, Western leaders and election observers have already been quick to recognize Victor Yanukovych, the same man they accused of trying to steal Ukraine’s presidency during the 2004 election, as victor in 2010.
Tymoshenko’s opponents and independent analysts, meanwhile, interpret her tenacity in challenging the election results more as an exercise in political survival than a genuine attempt to overturn the outcome.
On Feb. 17, Ukraine’s Higher Administrative Court suspended the official election results announced on Valentine’s Day by the country’s Central Electoral Commission, which declared Yanukovych the winner by a slim margin of 3.5 percentage points, or 888,000 ballots.
Tymoshenko personally delivered her case to the judges in Kyiv on Feb. 16, tunneling her way through a crowd of Party of Regions supporters camped outside, after having vowed to never surrender the nation to Yanukovych’s “gang of criminals.”
“I want to make it clear: Yanukovych is not our president. However the future circumstances play themselves out, he will never become the legitimately elected president of Ukraine,” Tymoshenko said in a televised address on Feb. 13, breaking nearly a week of public silence.
The court is expected to take a final decision by Feb. 25, the scheduled inauguration day of Yanukovych.
At issue are 1.5 million votes from the Feb. 7 runoff, which Tymoshenko’s team claims was stolen from them by the Yanukovych camp through various fraudulent schemes.
Vadym Karasyov, a political analyst at the Institute of Global Strategies, said fraud may have been significant in the Feb. 7 runoff. But Karasyov said it wasn’t limited to the Yanukovych team.
In a newsletter released by Tymoshenko’s team, her claims of election fraud included damaged or spoiled ballots, illegal changes to voter lists on election day and unusually high turnout figures in Yanukovych-friendly eastern Ukraine, in addition to suspicious home voting.
Add it up, and Tymoshenko’s side alleges the fraud cost their candidate more than the margin of Yanukovych’s victory.
“It’s even possible that Yanukovych was responsible for more [fraud] than she was, but I don’t think she would have let him get away with a million votes,” Karasyov said.
So why is Tymoshenko still kicking up a fuss in the face of recognition of Yanukovych’s victory by international heavyweights such as U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Parliament?
According to analyst Karasyov: “She wants to hold together her faction, remain prime minister and – most of all – retain her image as an unbeatable candidate for future elections.”
It was Tymoshenko who helped reverse Yanukovych’s fraud-marred victory in the 2004 presidential race. She mesmerized the crowds of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in the center of Kyiv during the 2004 Orange Revolution, the culmination of years of opposition struggle against international pariah and former President Leonid Kuchma, who had chosen Yanukovych as his successor.
Tymoshenko went on to become the first prime minister of President Victor Yushchenko. Then, after Yushchenko fired her as part of post-Revolution squabbling, Tymoshenko retook the government and the lead position among Orange leaders during a snap parliamentary election held in 2007.
Now, by stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, Tymoshenko might be finally showing signs of vulnerability. “This is just her Achilles heel showing. I think she just doesn’t know how to get out of this situation with dignity,” Hanna Herman, a close confidant of Yanukovych and veteran of the 2004 election, said.
“After this ruckus that she has kicked up, I think her chances of winning a future election have been seriously diminished,” Herman concluded.
Although Yanukovych clinched the Feb. 7 runoff by a slim lead, the growing general consensus is that he has won fair and square.
Election observers from the OSCE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and other Western institutions endorsed the validity of Yanukovych’s victory even earlier than the CEC, during a press conference held on Feb. 8.
Klas Bergman, director of communications for the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly, said the OSCE and its Western partner institutions fielded 700 observers for the runoff, not including hundreds of other international observers.
“Of course, we don’t see everything. There were polling stations where we weren’t present,” Bergman said. But he added: “We took part in numerous activities across the country and we were aware of this [issue of home voting] and looked into it.”
Charles Tannock, a British lawmaker and Tymoshenko supporter who monitored the Ukrainian runoff for the European Parliament, also acknowledged the possibility that Western observers had missed some fraud during the runoff, “though normally the long-term observers who are very experienced pick up on this if [it is] on a large scale, as there are usually intelligence leaks from the opposition which are investigated,” Tannock said.
Regarding the suspicions about home voting, which have been raised by Tymoshenko’s team, Tannock said: “I am not aware of any serious scrutiny of the home voting but understand the ballot boxes are escorted by a mixed team from both parties to avoid any tampering, making such a thing on a large scale very difficult, as this has been raised in previous elections and dismissed in 2004.”
So does the tenacious lady in braids have a chance at overturning the Feb. 7 runoff and calling a new vote, as she helped do against Yanukovych in 2004?
Karasyov says, “No. This is just a diversion. The court gets to show they are objective, and Yulia gets another chance to trumpet her case.”
Tymoshenko has already suffered losses in her campaign to challenge the vote in lower Ukrainian courts.
“She’s scored another goal, but she won’t win the match,” Karasyov said.
Nevertheless, Western leaders and election observers have already been quick to recognize Victor Yanukovych, the same man they accused of trying to steal Ukraine’s presidency during the 2004 election, as victor in 2010.
Tymoshenko’s opponents and independent analysts, meanwhile, interpret her tenacity in challenging the election results more as an exercise in political survival than a genuine attempt to overturn the outcome.
On Feb. 17, Ukraine’s Higher Administrative Court suspended the official election results announced on Valentine’s Day by the country’s Central Electoral Commission, which declared Yanukovych the winner by a slim margin of 3.5 percentage points, or 888,000 ballots.
Tymoshenko personally delivered her case to the judges in Kyiv on Feb. 16, tunneling her way through a crowd of Party of Regions supporters camped outside, after having vowed to never surrender the nation to Yanukovych’s “gang of criminals.”
“I want to make it clear: Yanukovych is not our president. However the future circumstances play themselves out, he will never become the legitimately elected president of Ukraine,” Tymoshenko said in a televised address on Feb. 13, breaking nearly a week of public silence.
The court is expected to take a final decision by Feb. 25, the scheduled inauguration day of Yanukovych.
At issue are 1.5 million votes from the Feb. 7 runoff, which Tymoshenko’s team claims was stolen from them by the Yanukovych camp through various fraudulent schemes.
Vadym Karasyov, a political analyst at the Institute of Global Strategies, said fraud may have been significant in the Feb. 7 runoff. But Karasyov said it wasn’t limited to the Yanukovych team.
In a newsletter released by Tymoshenko’s team, her claims of election fraud included damaged or spoiled ballots, illegal changes to voter lists on election day and unusually high turnout figures in Yanukovych-friendly eastern Ukraine, in addition to suspicious home voting.
Add it up, and Tymoshenko’s side alleges the fraud cost their candidate more than the margin of Yanukovych’s victory.
“It’s even possible that Yanukovych was responsible for more [fraud] than she was, but I don’t think she would have let him get away with a million votes,” Karasyov said.
So why is Tymoshenko still kicking up a fuss in the face of recognition of Yanukovych’s victory by international heavyweights such as U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Parliament?
According to analyst Karasyov: “She wants to hold together her faction, remain prime minister and – most of all – retain her image as an unbeatable candidate for future elections.”
It was Tymoshenko who helped reverse Yanukovych’s fraud-marred victory in the 2004 presidential race. She mesmerized the crowds of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in the center of Kyiv during the 2004 Orange Revolution, the culmination of years of opposition struggle against international pariah and former President Leonid Kuchma, who had chosen Yanukovych as his successor.
Tymoshenko went on to become the first prime minister of President Victor Yushchenko. Then, after Yushchenko fired her as part of post-Revolution squabbling, Tymoshenko retook the government and the lead position among Orange leaders during a snap parliamentary election held in 2007.
Now, by stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, Tymoshenko might be finally showing signs of vulnerability. “This is just her Achilles heel showing. I think she just doesn’t know how to get out of this situation with dignity,” Hanna Herman, a close confidant of Yanukovych and veteran of the 2004 election, said.
“After this ruckus that she has kicked up, I think her chances of winning a future election have been seriously diminished,” Herman concluded.
Although Yanukovych clinched the Feb. 7 runoff by a slim lead, the growing general consensus is that he has won fair and square.
Election observers from the OSCE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and other Western institutions endorsed the validity of Yanukovych’s victory even earlier than the CEC, during a press conference held on Feb. 8.
Klas Bergman, director of communications for the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly, said the OSCE and its Western partner institutions fielded 700 observers for the runoff, not including hundreds of other international observers.
“Of course, we don’t see everything. There were polling stations where we weren’t present,” Bergman said. But he added: “We took part in numerous activities across the country and we were aware of this [issue of home voting] and looked into it.”
Charles Tannock, a British lawmaker and Tymoshenko supporter who monitored the Ukrainian runoff for the European Parliament, also acknowledged the possibility that Western observers had missed some fraud during the runoff, “though normally the long-term observers who are very experienced pick up on this if [it is] on a large scale, as there are usually intelligence leaks from the opposition which are investigated,” Tannock said.
Regarding the suspicions about home voting, which have been raised by Tymoshenko’s team, Tannock said: “I am not aware of any serious scrutiny of the home voting but understand the ballot boxes are escorted by a mixed team from both parties to avoid any tampering, making such a thing on a large scale very difficult, as this has been raised in previous elections and dismissed in 2004.”
So does the tenacious lady in braids have a chance at overturning the Feb. 7 runoff and calling a new vote, as she helped do against Yanukovych in 2004?
Karasyov says, “No. This is just a diversion. The court gets to show they are objective, and Yulia gets another chance to trumpet her case.”
Tymoshenko has already suffered losses in her campaign to challenge the vote in lower Ukrainian courts.
“She’s scored another goal, but she won’t win the match,” Karasyov said.
Ukraine Court Hears Tymoshenko Poll Challenge
KIEV, Ukraine -- A top court in Ukraine on Friday started hearing a complaint by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko alleging that presidential elections she lost to Viktor Yanukovych were marred by widespread fraud.
Addressing the hearing, Tymoshenko said she would accept any decision as long as it was fair.
"If everything is studied objectively, I will accept the decision (of the court), which is the will of the people, but I cannot accept double standards and I cannot give up."
Addressing reporters just before the hearing started, Tymoshenko, who wants to force Yanukovych into a third round, pledged to fight until the end.
"Today I have not come to defend the presidential elections, I have come to defend Ukraine," she said.
Known for her predilection for beige designer dresses, the glamorous politician wore a funereal black outfit to the court.
"I don't want the future of my state, my people to be built on lies, on deception as happened during the 2010 elections. Today I will fight."
Around 300 of her supporters gathered outside the court to support the defiant prime minister, but their numbers were dwarfed by a much larger pro-Yanukovych crowd.
Earlier this week Tymoshenko filed a complaint with the court demanding the results from the February 7 ballot be invalidated due to what she says were mass falsifications.
The court ruled that final election results be suspended while it hears the case of Tymoshenko.
Yanukovych defeated Tymoshenko by around 3.5 percent or just under 890,000 votes in the election, according to the final official results.
Tymoshenko contends that mass violations, which she says amount to one million votes, put the outcome in doubt.
Ukraine's parliament -- where Yanukovych's Regions Party is the largest faction -- has already set the inauguration for February 25 amid fears of a looming political crisis.
"Nothing threatens the inauguration," Vladyslav Lukyanov, a deputy with Yanukovych's Regions Party, promised reporters before the start of the hearing.
"I've already bought myself a tuxedo for the reception which will happen on the evening of the inauguration."
Lukyanov said that if the court did not procrastinate it could deliver a verdict within the next two days.
Olexander Chernenko, head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, a non-governmental organization, told AFP, "They should end the hearing before Sunday, 48 hours from the beginning of the hearing."
Tymoshenko is facing an uphill battle as international observers have already praised the elections as fair and democratic.
Western leaders including US President Barack Obama have also congratulated Yanukovych on his victory.
Yanukovych vowed Friday not to allow the division of Ukraine, while his party accused Tymoshenko of using her influence to pursue personal gains.
"Tymoshenko continues to demonstrate a cynical and unceremonious violation of the constitution and law," the Regions Party said in a statement.
Yanukovych's victory heralded a return to a more pro-Russia orientation for Ukraine after the 2004 Orange Revolution which brought a pro-Western government to power in Kiev.
In 2004 he was initially declared the winner of disputed presidential polls. But following mass street protests against vote-rigging, the courts overturned his victory and ordered a new election which he lost.
Addressing the hearing, Tymoshenko said she would accept any decision as long as it was fair.
"If everything is studied objectively, I will accept the decision (of the court), which is the will of the people, but I cannot accept double standards and I cannot give up."
Addressing reporters just before the hearing started, Tymoshenko, who wants to force Yanukovych into a third round, pledged to fight until the end.
"Today I have not come to defend the presidential elections, I have come to defend Ukraine," she said.
Known for her predilection for beige designer dresses, the glamorous politician wore a funereal black outfit to the court.
"I don't want the future of my state, my people to be built on lies, on deception as happened during the 2010 elections. Today I will fight."
Around 300 of her supporters gathered outside the court to support the defiant prime minister, but their numbers were dwarfed by a much larger pro-Yanukovych crowd.
Earlier this week Tymoshenko filed a complaint with the court demanding the results from the February 7 ballot be invalidated due to what she says were mass falsifications.
The court ruled that final election results be suspended while it hears the case of Tymoshenko.
Yanukovych defeated Tymoshenko by around 3.5 percent or just under 890,000 votes in the election, according to the final official results.
Tymoshenko contends that mass violations, which she says amount to one million votes, put the outcome in doubt.
Ukraine's parliament -- where Yanukovych's Regions Party is the largest faction -- has already set the inauguration for February 25 amid fears of a looming political crisis.
"Nothing threatens the inauguration," Vladyslav Lukyanov, a deputy with Yanukovych's Regions Party, promised reporters before the start of the hearing.
"I've already bought myself a tuxedo for the reception which will happen on the evening of the inauguration."
Lukyanov said that if the court did not procrastinate it could deliver a verdict within the next two days.
Olexander Chernenko, head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, a non-governmental organization, told AFP, "They should end the hearing before Sunday, 48 hours from the beginning of the hearing."
Tymoshenko is facing an uphill battle as international observers have already praised the elections as fair and democratic.
Western leaders including US President Barack Obama have also congratulated Yanukovych on his victory.
Yanukovych vowed Friday not to allow the division of Ukraine, while his party accused Tymoshenko of using her influence to pursue personal gains.
"Tymoshenko continues to demonstrate a cynical and unceremonious violation of the constitution and law," the Regions Party said in a statement.
Yanukovych's victory heralded a return to a more pro-Russia orientation for Ukraine after the 2004 Orange Revolution which brought a pro-Western government to power in Kiev.
In 2004 he was initially declared the winner of disputed presidential polls. But following mass street protests against vote-rigging, the courts overturned his victory and ordered a new election which he lost.
Hrytsenko Calls Yushchenko Cheapskate And Miser
KIEV, Ukraine -- Ex-presidential candidate Anatoly Hrytsenko called immoral former Pres Yushchenko’s plans to retain his state-owned residence in Kyiv’s elite area. Hrytsenko was commenting on Yushchenko’s hints made during his final press conference, Ukrayinska Pravda reports Feb. 18.
“Such plans look weird against the backdrop of Yushchenko moralizing and selling himself as an opponent of exorbitant perks enjoyed by high-ranking officials, Hrytsenko said.
“In fact, Yushchenko proved to be the same miser, having built a small village for himself in Bezradychi and acquired many hectares of suburban land,” the lawmaker added. Yushchenko has a number of residences all over Ukraine. There is no law allowing ex-presidents to keep state-owned property, he went on.
“Abusing his office, Yushchenko signed classified documents giving away state property to high-ranking officials, notably, to Volodymyr Lytvyn in 2006,” Hrytsenko continued.
Compared to meager pensions of tens of millions of Ukrainians, Ukraine retired high-ranking officials get lavish pensions, 50% cuts on their utilities bills, lifetime drivers, cars, guards and maids, says Hrytsenko.
Yushchenko who tried to sell himself as an advocate of European values, have, in fact, acted like a miser who espouses Asian and African values of past centuries, Hrytsenko charged.
Ukrainians should not tolerate the fact that Pres Yushchenko, in addition to the property acquired during his watch, still clings to the state-owned residence, same as president-elect Yanukovych, when premier, snatched for himself another state-owned residence
“Such plans look weird against the backdrop of Yushchenko moralizing and selling himself as an opponent of exorbitant perks enjoyed by high-ranking officials, Hrytsenko said.
“In fact, Yushchenko proved to be the same miser, having built a small village for himself in Bezradychi and acquired many hectares of suburban land,” the lawmaker added. Yushchenko has a number of residences all over Ukraine. There is no law allowing ex-presidents to keep state-owned property, he went on.
“Abusing his office, Yushchenko signed classified documents giving away state property to high-ranking officials, notably, to Volodymyr Lytvyn in 2006,” Hrytsenko continued.
Compared to meager pensions of tens of millions of Ukrainians, Ukraine retired high-ranking officials get lavish pensions, 50% cuts on their utilities bills, lifetime drivers, cars, guards and maids, says Hrytsenko.
Yushchenko who tried to sell himself as an advocate of European values, have, in fact, acted like a miser who espouses Asian and African values of past centuries, Hrytsenko charged.
Ukrainians should not tolerate the fact that Pres Yushchenko, in addition to the property acquired during his watch, still clings to the state-owned residence, same as president-elect Yanukovych, when premier, snatched for himself another state-owned residence
Ukraine Court Hears Tymoshenko Appeal Against Poll
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched a court appeal on Friday aimed at blocking the inauguration of President elect Viktor Yanukovich and forcing a fresh vote for President.
"I have not come to defend the elections.I have come to defend the future of Ukraine.I do not want the future of my people to be built on lies and fraud",Tymoshenko told journalists before entering Kiev's Higher administrative Court.
Yankovich,59,is due to be sworn into office on feb 25 after beating Tymoshenko by a narrow margin of 3.5 per centage points in a runoff vote earlier this month, but the 49 year old premier says she was robbed of victory by vote rigging.
Yanukovich,who was denied the top job by the 2004 "Orange revolution" protests against electoral fraud,and his regions Party have denied any wrong doing,as happened in the Orange Revolution which ended with President Viktor Yushchenko being elected.
She is also trying to get declared illegal the official declaration that Yanukovich was elected.
Few commentators expect her to win and most believe the court will throw out the appeal in time for Yanukovich's inauguration to go ahead next Thursday.
Tymoshenko, wearing a black dress with her hair plaited in it's trade mark peasant braid, sat next to Leonid Kravchuk,a former president,in the court room. Others supporting her in court included former foreign minister Borys Tarasiuk.
"I have not come to defend the elections.I have come to defend the future of Ukraine.I do not want the future of my people to be built on lies and fraud",Tymoshenko told journalists before entering Kiev's Higher administrative Court.
Yankovich,59,is due to be sworn into office on feb 25 after beating Tymoshenko by a narrow margin of 3.5 per centage points in a runoff vote earlier this month, but the 49 year old premier says she was robbed of victory by vote rigging.
Yanukovich,who was denied the top job by the 2004 "Orange revolution" protests against electoral fraud,and his regions Party have denied any wrong doing,as happened in the Orange Revolution which ended with President Viktor Yushchenko being elected.
She is also trying to get declared illegal the official declaration that Yanukovich was elected.
Few commentators expect her to win and most believe the court will throw out the appeal in time for Yanukovich's inauguration to go ahead next Thursday.
Tymoshenko, wearing a black dress with her hair plaited in it's trade mark peasant braid, sat next to Leonid Kravchuk,a former president,in the court room. Others supporting her in court included former foreign minister Borys Tarasiuk.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Viktor Yanukovych Says West Has Nothing To Fear From Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine -- In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, his first to a Western newspaper since his election victory earlier this month, Viktor Yanukovych, laughed off the idea he was a Kremlin stooge.
He said the West would benefit from his new position and even promised to end the threats to Russian gas supplies flowing through his country to Europe."I have drawn deep conclusions from the mistakes I have made in the past," he said. "The truth is that I am on Ukraine's side. I want balanced and pragmatic relations with our strategic partners.".Mr Yanukovych, 59, a former Communist party member and twice convicted felon, narrowly defeated the country's prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, at the ballot box earlier this month.Mrs Tymoshenko again alleged yesterday that Mr Yanukovych had cheated his way to the presidency and vowed a legal challenge.But the international community has widely recognised Mr Yanukovych's victory as legitimate and Ukraine's central election commission has said it will not consider Mrs Tymoshenko's challenge. Mr Yanukovych is expected to force Mrs Tymoshenko's resignation from the premiership as early as this week as he moves to consolidate his grip on what is a huge strategically vital gas-transit country sandwiched between Russia and the West.His victory caps a remarkable and unlikely comeback from the political dead.Five years ago, mass protests triggered what came to be known as the Orange Revolution, a series of events that saw Mr Yanukovych stripped of a fraud-tainted election win and cast into the political wilderness.Bankrolled by some of the country's fabulously wealthy oligarchs and coached by a team of American spin doctors, Mr Yanukovych has gradually clawed his way back.Dressed in a dark suit and sporting a carefully coiffed, Soviet-style swept-back hairdo, he insists he does not hold a grudge against America even though he admits he is convinced that Washington helped engineer the 2004 Orange Revolution."Today (America's involvement) is not a secret. It was known and understood a long time ago. But we have already turned a new page and are looking to the future."Former US President George Bush's policy of spreading US-style democracy was dead and buried."Attempts to foist political views on any people cause people's lives to get worse. It is a policy that does not lead to trust or success," he said.Europe could sleep safely in the knowledge that Ukraine would not get embroiled in any spats with Russia that have caused serious gas shortages in Europe in recent years, he added."When I was prime minister on two different occasions we never had such problems," he said. "People did not even know it was possible to have such problems in Europe. The conflicts were unjustified and relations with Russia over-politicised. Ukraine can play a stabilising role in many questions between Europe and Russia."While craving warmer relations with the West, Mr Yanukovych makes no secret of the fact that his priority is to rebuild battered relations with Russia.He says he wants to help Russia get into the World Trade Organisation and has said he will consider allowing Russia's Black Sea Fleet to remain based in Ukraine after its lease runs out in 2017. He also wants the Russian language to be given equal or near equal status with Ukrainian, the country's sole state language for now."We need to improve our ties with brotherly countries such as Russia," he says. He will have an early opportunity to show where his loyalties lie when he makes his first foreign trip as president. Like Ukraine itself, he will have to make a symbolic yet fateful choice: Russia or Europe.
He said the West would benefit from his new position and even promised to end the threats to Russian gas supplies flowing through his country to Europe."I have drawn deep conclusions from the mistakes I have made in the past," he said. "The truth is that I am on Ukraine's side. I want balanced and pragmatic relations with our strategic partners.".Mr Yanukovych, 59, a former Communist party member and twice convicted felon, narrowly defeated the country's prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, at the ballot box earlier this month.Mrs Tymoshenko again alleged yesterday that Mr Yanukovych had cheated his way to the presidency and vowed a legal challenge.But the international community has widely recognised Mr Yanukovych's victory as legitimate and Ukraine's central election commission has said it will not consider Mrs Tymoshenko's challenge. Mr Yanukovych is expected to force Mrs Tymoshenko's resignation from the premiership as early as this week as he moves to consolidate his grip on what is a huge strategically vital gas-transit country sandwiched between Russia and the West.His victory caps a remarkable and unlikely comeback from the political dead.Five years ago, mass protests triggered what came to be known as the Orange Revolution, a series of events that saw Mr Yanukovych stripped of a fraud-tainted election win and cast into the political wilderness.Bankrolled by some of the country's fabulously wealthy oligarchs and coached by a team of American spin doctors, Mr Yanukovych has gradually clawed his way back.Dressed in a dark suit and sporting a carefully coiffed, Soviet-style swept-back hairdo, he insists he does not hold a grudge against America even though he admits he is convinced that Washington helped engineer the 2004 Orange Revolution."Today (America's involvement) is not a secret. It was known and understood a long time ago. But we have already turned a new page and are looking to the future."Former US President George Bush's policy of spreading US-style democracy was dead and buried."Attempts to foist political views on any people cause people's lives to get worse. It is a policy that does not lead to trust or success," he said.Europe could sleep safely in the knowledge that Ukraine would not get embroiled in any spats with Russia that have caused serious gas shortages in Europe in recent years, he added."When I was prime minister on two different occasions we never had such problems," he said. "People did not even know it was possible to have such problems in Europe. The conflicts were unjustified and relations with Russia over-politicised. Ukraine can play a stabilising role in many questions between Europe and Russia."While craving warmer relations with the West, Mr Yanukovych makes no secret of the fact that his priority is to rebuild battered relations with Russia.He says he wants to help Russia get into the World Trade Organisation and has said he will consider allowing Russia's Black Sea Fleet to remain based in Ukraine after its lease runs out in 2017. He also wants the Russian language to be given equal or near equal status with Ukrainian, the country's sole state language for now."We need to improve our ties with brotherly countries such as Russia," he says. He will have an early opportunity to show where his loyalties lie when he makes his first foreign trip as president. Like Ukraine itself, he will have to make a symbolic yet fateful choice: Russia or Europe.
Medvedev Invites Ukraine President - Elect To Moscow
MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia invited Ukrainian president-elect Viktor Yanukovich on Monday to visit Moscow, aiming to consolidate improved relations with Kiev after years of acrimony under the outgoing president.
President Dmitry Medvedev made the invitation in a letter to Yanukovich released by the Kremlin press service.Ukraine's electoral commission confirmed on Sunday Yanukovich's win over his rival Yulia Tymoshenko in a runoff on February 7, paving the way for his inauguration. Tymoshenko says she intends challenging the result in court.If Yanukovich accepts the invitation, it could be his first foreign trip as president, reinforcing expectations that he will steer the former Soviet republic back towards Moscow's orbit.In a pointed reference to outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko, Medvedev's letter said the election showed that Ukrainians "desired to end the historically doomed attempts to sow discord between the people of our countries."Both Yanukovich and Tymoshenko said they wanted better relations with Moscow after five years of estrangement under Yushchenko, who was swept to power on a wave of anti-Russian sentiment and wanted Ukraine to join the European Union and NATO.Western leaders have also congratulated Yanukovich on his win and praised the poll for meeting democratic standards.During campaigning, Yanukovich stressed the "historical partnership" of Ukraine and Russia that goes beyond strategic relations. But he has also promised to tackle the country's economic problems and move it closer to the EU.
President Dmitry Medvedev made the invitation in a letter to Yanukovich released by the Kremlin press service.Ukraine's electoral commission confirmed on Sunday Yanukovich's win over his rival Yulia Tymoshenko in a runoff on February 7, paving the way for his inauguration. Tymoshenko says she intends challenging the result in court.If Yanukovich accepts the invitation, it could be his first foreign trip as president, reinforcing expectations that he will steer the former Soviet republic back towards Moscow's orbit.In a pointed reference to outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko, Medvedev's letter said the election showed that Ukrainians "desired to end the historically doomed attempts to sow discord between the people of our countries."Both Yanukovich and Tymoshenko said they wanted better relations with Moscow after five years of estrangement under Yushchenko, who was swept to power on a wave of anti-Russian sentiment and wanted Ukraine to join the European Union and NATO.Western leaders have also congratulated Yanukovich on his win and praised the poll for meeting democratic standards.During campaigning, Yanukovich stressed the "historical partnership" of Ukraine and Russia that goes beyond strategic relations. But he has also promised to tackle the country's economic problems and move it closer to the EU.
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