November 23, 2004

THE GEORGIA MODEL WORKS AGAIN:

KIEV: HANDOVER OF POWER (Sky News, 11/23/04)

A peaceful handover of power has reportedly been agreed in the Ukraine after protesters clashed with anti-riot police outside the president's headquarters.

Tensions in the capital Kiev reached breaking point as tens of thousands of demonstrators surrounded the HQ.

They had been called on to march by opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko.

He and his supporters believed the presidential election, which took place at the weekend, was rigged.

According to the poll results, Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won the presidency.

But after calls from outgoing president Leonid Kuchma for talks between the two sides, Mr Yanukovych stepped aside.

Mr Yushchenko will now become president, it has been reported.


That'll be the second time that leaning on folks to hand over power in former Soviet republics worked rather quickly.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 23, 2004 8:38 PM
Comments

Seems to me it's rather important to know whether or not the initial results were actually fraudulent. I haven't seen any news story that indicates that there is conclusive evidence to support this. What if ANSWER and MoveOn got hundreds of thousands of people to march in Washington demanding that Kerry be declared the winner of the presidential election?

Posted by: brian at November 24, 2004 1:17 AM

OK, a quick glimpse of the news indicates that the election was widely viewed internationally and in Ukraine as having been illegitimate. I still don't think that being able to demonstrate your way to power is a particularly good precedent to set...

Posted by: brian at November 24, 2004 1:29 AM

There is all sorts of evidence of skullduggery and there are literally millions of witnesses. Moreover, the results were very skewed based upon what part of the country you are from. The Donbass, where the Russians live, went for Yanukovich and the Western Ukraine was like 95% for Yushchenko.

A partition is not an unlikely outcome.

Posted by: Bart at November 24, 2004 6:31 AM

Putin is a bright guy no doubt.

He had a win/win/win situation.

(1) If he gets away with installing the pro-russia president, then he gets the Ukraine.

(2) If he gets a partition of Ukraine, its likely that the remainder will join Russia

(3) If he accepts the pro-western candidate and criticizes the fraud he can falsely burnish his democratic credentials.

Posted by: AML at November 24, 2004 10:30 AM
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