Ukraine looks to be heading for political stalemate after Sunday’s runoff presidential election. With over 95 percent of the votes counted, opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appears to have won, but he has failed to achieve a convicing lead over his rival Yulia Tymoshenko. She may contest the result in court.
As Yulia Tymoshenko prepared to speak at a press conference in Kiev on Sunday evening, it had already become clear that she had not manage to achieve the majority she hoped for in Ukraine’s presidential runoff election. Exit polls indicated that she trailed her rival Viktor Yanukovych by several percentage points.
Dressed in a brilliant white dress with a large shiny brooch, she strode energetically up to the podium, making her way through a throng of supporters and journalists. “I am convinced,” she told the crowd, “that the majority of citizens have voted for a democratic, European and strong Ukraine.”
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Notes:
I can hear it now.
Yanukovych: “Will nobody rid me of this vexatious woman?”
Maybe he should check with Obama.
“Heh”…
I’ve put up in the sidebar Mike Wallace’s interview with Palin yesterday . It’s interesting.
And here’s a point: Sarah is like one of those video games kids like to play. Every time she is attacked she grows stronger and right about now she looks like a 600 lb gorilla hovering over the US president.
In the Ukraine Yulia is in exactly the same position. We’ll see how it goes but my view is that we are looking at the Orange Revolution — Phase Two.
I’m sorry Jack, but Tymoshenko is major part of the problem in Ukrainian politics today. She is not pro-Western by inclination, and will, if necessary, tilt toward Moscow if that would secure her victory. Her ambition and ego, and a rather questionable competence in office, is one of the reasons why the Orange Revolution failed to achieve any substantive effects in Ukraine.
That said, Yanukovych is a thug — very clever, but very brutish. He will tilt to Moscow only to the degree that it does not undermine his own authority.
In Ukraine, none of the political leaders where white hats.
The US networks are reporting the election was closely monitored and “clean” but time will tell…
I do agree with everything you said @ 8;37, Cunctator; when Mr. Yushchenko lost . all freedom loving Ukrainians lost – it is the choice of the better of two very bads, IMO.