ORANGE DYKUN

UKRAINE'S ROSE REVOLUTION IS WELL UNDERWAY:

This is being described as a national uprising. Here is what I have seen today, writing to you from the city of Ternopil, (pop approximately 250,000):

I arrived from Pidhajtsi at 12 PM. All along the way from Pidhajtsi to Ternopil one could see, on the streets of the various villages and in the bus stops throughout the countryside, people wearing orange arm bands, orange-colored jackets, hats, scarves, gloves. In one village, someone had painted the entire fence encircling their property orange. Once in Ternopil, I saw warms of people wearing orange. Orange is the color of Jushchenko's flag.

I started walking the short distance from the bus station to the town center, to Teatral'na Ploshcha (Theater Square), where people have been gathering, demonstrating, since last night. All along the road were people coming and going from the meeting, carrying Ukrainian flags, carrying PORA! flags, carrying signs and banners and the flags of the Jushchenko campaign, and the flag of Our Ukraine, his Party. People shouted, "Jushchenko!" at random; sometimes the shouts caught on and turned into the chants of the many: "JU-SHCHEN-KO PRE-SI-DENT!" Groups of students with PORA! and TAK! banners around their arms where walking to and fro the center, singing new lyrics to folk songs, all chiding Janukovych. Some of them chanted: "Ju-shcen-ko Pre-si-dent, Ja-nu-ko-vych IM-PO-TENT!"

In the center, on Theater Square, is a constant presence of at least 5-10,000 [I amend this figure; most people after the OR told me that the size of the crowd was more like 20,000 daily, and looking at my video footage and photos again, I agree. . .], with people constantly coming and going. They were here yesterday. They came back at 9AM, while many diehards stayed the night. And every side street to and fro the center is crawling with more people in orange. No doubt, Ternopil is not the only city having demos. In fact, I have seen on the opposition news channel 5 a map indicating where demos are happening in major cities. Every major city in Ukraine has a demo happening. Only three of them are having major, pro-Janukovych demonstrations: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and of course in Sevastapol and Simferopol. But in each are taking place pro-Juschenko rallies, albeit smaller (there are also counter, pro-Janukovych rallies happening in many cities where the majority is for Jushchenko). And there are townhall meetings and demos happening in smaller towns and villages everywhere.

Kyiv is overrun with Jushchenko demonstrators. The cenral, Independence Square is full (but its been full now since Sunday night), but people keep arriving. Every major boulevard heading into the center is crowded. Khreshchatyk is overrun, Hrushevs'kyj Street is overrun, etc. And most importantly of all, the building of the Verkhovna Rada or National Parlaiment is nearly completely surrounded by people who are shouting "Jushcenko President!"

Inside the parlaiment are deputies who are trying to pass a resolution nullifying the vote. For the most part, only opposition deputies are present. The speaker of the parlaiment, ??? Lytvyn is presiding and is overall cooperating. Lytvyn is widely considered a slippery character who slides along the political spectrum in Ukraine depending on where the power is: because of this, people say that Lytvyn is a Litmus test. You want to know where things are heading in Ukraine, watch his behavior. One can hear from inside the parlaiment the shouts of the thousands of people (from the opposition TV it looked like at least 5-10,000 alone around the parlaiment) outside. At one point, those outside started singing the national anthem. I was in a cafe eating lunch, talking with some people I just met about what Americans know about the situation in Ukraine, when those demonstrators started to sing. Everyone in the cafe stood and sang the national anthem. I saw an old man with a tear on his cheek. This is an emotional experience for all.

A national uprising is taking place. The vast majority of Ukrainians--and I mean this in a civic sense, meaning citizens of Ukraine regardless of ethnicity--are voting once again today. The majority know which candidate is a pluralist, who is open to all their diverse interests, cultures, and dreams. Most importantly of all, they know who is the populist, who will fight to end corruption and will fight to reform an unequal power structure, and who will fight to redistribute the wealth of a rich country whose people are poor but proud.

Today, Ukrainians are indeed harvesting oranges in their own country, because they are tired of having to leave home and harvest oranges elsewhere!

Stefan

PS--As I write you, at 5 PM, Jushchenko is addressing those deputies at and the nation from the Parlaiment.

PPS-I just read that a pro-Janukovych rally in Cherkasy was overrun by Jushcenko supporters, and has turned into a pro-Jushchenko rally. The same seems to be happening in Kharkiv. Please look at Jushchenko's Our Ukraine website, which has an english versiosn and constant updates and photos of what is going on: http://www.razom.org.ua/

And one other thing: things seem farely calm, no reports of provocation, etc., yet. . .

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YANUKOVYCH DECLARED WINNER (sent minutes later):

I just heard--been sitting at this computer for too long. The bastard government of Ukraine has declared Janukovych winner in the election. Absurd. The fight, now, really is on. . .

To get the election nullified, the President must initiate the nullification, not the parlaiment. . .this according to Ukraine's absurdly undemocratic constitution that gives all the power to the president. I like to call Urkaine's system a limited presidential dictatorship.

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YUSHCHENKO TAKES PRESIDENTIAL OATH (again minutes later, but this time it was a short article from the AP):

KIEV, Ukraine - Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko took a symbolic presidential oath of office in Ukraine's parliament chamber Tuesday, defiantly claiming power as tens of thousands of his supporters massed outside.

Yushchenko approached the podium and took the oath after a special parliamentary session had officially ended, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Some 191 lawmakers had gathered for the special session to consider an opposition request to vote no-confidence in the Central Election Commission and declare the official results of Sunday's run-off election between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych invalid. Support from at least 226 members of the 450-seat parliament was needed for the motion to succeed.
Yushchenko had earlier claimed victory in the runoff, even though the commission declared Yanukovych the winner. The opposition has said the election was rigged.