Tuesday, November 15, 2005
SENT Tu, NOV. 16, 2004, II
UKRAINE UPDATE: THINGS HEATING UP
Greetings All,
Things are heating up in Ukraine. The run off elections are this Sunday, and things are starting to happen that suggest a fight ahead. And oh, by-the-way, one can spell Janukovych like Yanukovych and Jushchenko like Yushchenko. . .the Y is more common in western press, but I prefer the J.
The bad news:
Yesterday, the governor of the state of Ternopil was dismissed by decree of the presidential administration for failure to fulfill duties. The motivation behind this is obvious. Ternopil is perhaps the most pro-Ukrainian and pro-Jushchenko state in Ukraine (and is where I am now, as my beloved Pidhajtsi is in this state). Large numbers of Ternopilians fought with the anti-German, anti-Soviet partisans during and after WWII. Ternopil was subjected to heavy KGB surveillance and repression, especially in the 1970s. In 1991, Ternopil had the highest percentage of votes in favor of independence in all Ukraine (99% in favor) and the highest percentage of votes for Jushchenko during the first round. It has come out that the presidential administration, in advance of the first round, had set quotas for the percentage of votes for Janukovych and Jushchenko in each of Ukraine’s state. In states where Janukovych was expected to gain a majority, the order was to further deflate votes for Jushchenko. Wherever Janukovych was expected to lose, the order was to make vote-counts more even between the two candidates. Ternopil, as well as other Western Ukrainian states, refused to manipulate the vote and reported to the Central Electoral Commission counts that corresponded with exit polls and with nongovernmental counts, all of which showed that Jushcehnko with an overwhelmingly majority in all of western Ukraine (a surprise to no one). Hence the Central Electoral Commission announced an end to the vote counting and a basic tie between the two candidates without finishing their count of votes in western Ukraine. The sacking of the governor is typical of the sort of intimidation tactics used by authorities throughout the last 13 years of Ukraine’s deeply troubled independence.
Second, today is news that policemen in Pidhajtsi and throughout the state of Ternopil have been ordered to turn in not only their own voter-registration cards and passports, but also those of their wives' and all of their children’s who are eligible to vote. To vote in Ukraine, you need your registration card, which one can get in advance or on the day of the election, and one’s passport. The same process takes place in other former Soviet republics, such as in the Baltic States for example, but the difference is that in Latvia at least, passports are stamped once one has voted. There were proposals to do so here in Ukraine, but no decision was ever made before the election. Apparently, the police administration intends to vote on the behalf of policemen. There are about 60 policemen living in the Pidhajtsi area with their immediate families.
Also, the rumor is going around that employees of the energy utility in the state of Ternopil have been given the same order. The energy utility is controlled by Surkis, who is one of the most powerful and wealthy oligarchs in Ukraine.
Surkis controls utilities in other states as well, but I have not heard if such things have been ordered elsewhere, too. In fact, these stories about police and employees are thus far only rumors to me, but given that every such rumor of misconduct during the first round proved to be true, one is well predisposed to believe that these are more than just rumors. The authorities proved themselves to be utterly shameless in the first round, and they seem to be prepared to take their shamelessness to a higher level for the second round. They seem utterly determined to get a better result for Janukovych in this feisty region.
The good news:
As authorities are showing themselves ready to fight here in Ternopil for an illegitimate result in the election, people here in Pidhajtsi, and one can guess that in other parts of Ternopil and in Ukraine in general as well, are also making it clear that they are ready to fight--to fight for a legitimate election.
Today in Pidhajtsi about 100 people picketed in front of the local police office, demanding that no one cooperate with the order of the administration to turn-in voter-registration cards and passports.
Also, tomorrow at 4 PM in Pidhajtsi there will be a pro-Jushchenko rally, and many more are expected to attend than who arrived to picket today. The rally is intended to be a display of mutual support and to inspire people stay the course and vote one’s conscience inspite of whatever authorities are doing and are threatening to do. In short, in Ternopil and many other parts of Ukraine, being pro-Jushchenko in the second round is synonymous with being for free and fair elections.
This combined with the demonstrations that occurred in Kyiv and Lviv and Chernivtsi and elsewhere after the first round, and the fact that pro-Jushchenko and pro-free-and-fair election rallies will undoubtedly be occuring in many parts of Ukraine before and during the second round, it seems that Ukrainians are ready to fight for democracy. Democracy, as Jushchenko has been clever enough to state over and over again, is already in action here, among the people, at the grassroots. Ukrainians can be seen to be already acting in a democratic way by virtue of the willingness to rally, organize, and demonstrate they have thus far displayed, as well as their willingness to vote their conscience, even in the more-Sovietized parts of Ukraine, despite the authorities. Democracy does not only involve the right and responsibility of voting, but also the right and responsibility to actively organize and demonstrate. I am enthusiastic at this point, in that Ukrainians seem more capable to me than ever before of repeating what happened last year in the Republic of Georgia, where a bloodless Rose Revolution toppled the corrupt oligarchy after it tried to steal and falsify presidential elections there. Ukrainians seem capable, if need be—and right now, it looks like the need may still come to demonstrate, fight, and actively participate in building a popular democracy here.
And one last thing: Last night there was a televised debate between Janukovych and Jushchenko. I will send a digest and analysis of the debate tomorrow or the day after; I will say now that it was very telling.
Stefan
Greetings All,
Things are heating up in Ukraine. The run off elections are this Sunday, and things are starting to happen that suggest a fight ahead. And oh, by-the-way, one can spell Janukovych like Yanukovych and Jushchenko like Yushchenko. . .the Y is more common in western press, but I prefer the J.
The bad news:
Yesterday, the governor of the state of Ternopil was dismissed by decree of the presidential administration for failure to fulfill duties. The motivation behind this is obvious. Ternopil is perhaps the most pro-Ukrainian and pro-Jushchenko state in Ukraine (and is where I am now, as my beloved Pidhajtsi is in this state). Large numbers of Ternopilians fought with the anti-German, anti-Soviet partisans during and after WWII. Ternopil was subjected to heavy KGB surveillance and repression, especially in the 1970s. In 1991, Ternopil had the highest percentage of votes in favor of independence in all Ukraine (99% in favor) and the highest percentage of votes for Jushchenko during the first round. It has come out that the presidential administration, in advance of the first round, had set quotas for the percentage of votes for Janukovych and Jushchenko in each of Ukraine’s state. In states where Janukovych was expected to gain a majority, the order was to further deflate votes for Jushchenko. Wherever Janukovych was expected to lose, the order was to make vote-counts more even between the two candidates. Ternopil, as well as other Western Ukrainian states, refused to manipulate the vote and reported to the Central Electoral Commission counts that corresponded with exit polls and with nongovernmental counts, all of which showed that Jushcehnko with an overwhelmingly majority in all of western Ukraine (a surprise to no one). Hence the Central Electoral Commission announced an end to the vote counting and a basic tie between the two candidates without finishing their count of votes in western Ukraine. The sacking of the governor is typical of the sort of intimidation tactics used by authorities throughout the last 13 years of Ukraine’s deeply troubled independence.
Second, today is news that policemen in Pidhajtsi and throughout the state of Ternopil have been ordered to turn in not only their own voter-registration cards and passports, but also those of their wives' and all of their children’s who are eligible to vote. To vote in Ukraine, you need your registration card, which one can get in advance or on the day of the election, and one’s passport. The same process takes place in other former Soviet republics, such as in the Baltic States for example, but the difference is that in Latvia at least, passports are stamped once one has voted. There were proposals to do so here in Ukraine, but no decision was ever made before the election. Apparently, the police administration intends to vote on the behalf of policemen. There are about 60 policemen living in the Pidhajtsi area with their immediate families.
Also, the rumor is going around that employees of the energy utility in the state of Ternopil have been given the same order. The energy utility is controlled by Surkis, who is one of the most powerful and wealthy oligarchs in Ukraine.
Surkis controls utilities in other states as well, but I have not heard if such things have been ordered elsewhere, too. In fact, these stories about police and employees are thus far only rumors to me, but given that every such rumor of misconduct during the first round proved to be true, one is well predisposed to believe that these are more than just rumors. The authorities proved themselves to be utterly shameless in the first round, and they seem to be prepared to take their shamelessness to a higher level for the second round. They seem utterly determined to get a better result for Janukovych in this feisty region.
The good news:
As authorities are showing themselves ready to fight here in Ternopil for an illegitimate result in the election, people here in Pidhajtsi, and one can guess that in other parts of Ternopil and in Ukraine in general as well, are also making it clear that they are ready to fight--to fight for a legitimate election.
Today in Pidhajtsi about 100 people picketed in front of the local police office, demanding that no one cooperate with the order of the administration to turn-in voter-registration cards and passports.
Also, tomorrow at 4 PM in Pidhajtsi there will be a pro-Jushchenko rally, and many more are expected to attend than who arrived to picket today. The rally is intended to be a display of mutual support and to inspire people stay the course and vote one’s conscience inspite of whatever authorities are doing and are threatening to do. In short, in Ternopil and many other parts of Ukraine, being pro-Jushchenko in the second round is synonymous with being for free and fair elections.
This combined with the demonstrations that occurred in Kyiv and Lviv and Chernivtsi and elsewhere after the first round, and the fact that pro-Jushchenko and pro-free-and-fair election rallies will undoubtedly be occuring in many parts of Ukraine before and during the second round, it seems that Ukrainians are ready to fight for democracy. Democracy, as Jushchenko has been clever enough to state over and over again, is already in action here, among the people, at the grassroots. Ukrainians can be seen to be already acting in a democratic way by virtue of the willingness to rally, organize, and demonstrate they have thus far displayed, as well as their willingness to vote their conscience, even in the more-Sovietized parts of Ukraine, despite the authorities. Democracy does not only involve the right and responsibility of voting, but also the right and responsibility to actively organize and demonstrate. I am enthusiastic at this point, in that Ukrainians seem more capable to me than ever before of repeating what happened last year in the Republic of Georgia, where a bloodless Rose Revolution toppled the corrupt oligarchy after it tried to steal and falsify presidential elections there. Ukrainians seem capable, if need be—and right now, it looks like the need may still come to demonstrate, fight, and actively participate in building a popular democracy here.
And one last thing: Last night there was a televised debate between Janukovych and Jushchenko. I will send a digest and analysis of the debate tomorrow or the day after; I will say now that it was very telling.
Stefan
