The people of the Ukraine have made their choice … again … maybe.
Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared victory early Monday in Ukraine’s presidential election, telling supporters it is the dawn of a new political era in the former Soviet republic.
Although final results will be released Monday morning, Yushchenko had a huge lead in early returns, and exit polls indicated he would defeat Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
I hope Yushchenko is not relying only on exit polls.
Yushchenko, who was poisoned with dioxin during the campaign, told tens of thousands of supporters who had massed in Independence Square, “After today, everything is going to change in the Ukraine.”
“For 14 years, we were independent, but we were not free,” he said. “This is a unique, clear political victory, an elegant victory from the people who have proved their power.”
The bitterly contested race was a repeat of a November 21 election whose results were thrown out because of widespread fraud. Yanukovych won the official count by 2.7 percentage points in that election.
In response, Yushchenko supporters gathered daily in the square, calling for another election. Sunday night, they gathered in celebration.
“Today, the Ukrainian nation and the Ukrainian people have won. The Ukrainian people have won,” Yushchenko said.
Three exit polls released just after the voting ended showed him with a 12- to 20-point lead lead over Yanukovych, who was backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Damn, there’s those exit polls.
Yanukovych told reporters that he still believed he could win — but that if he did not, he would fight as an opposition voice in parliament.
With ballots from just over 60 percent of precincts counted, Yushchenko was leading 56 percent to 40 percent, The Associated Press reported, citing election officials.
Okay, so it looks like much more than just exit polls. In addition, so far there have been no official allegations of fraud that haunted the previous balloting. The Yshchenko campaign was confident that the “election results could not be ‘stolen’ this time.”
“I am very happy that our Ukrainian people rose up and fought for freedom and democracy, and I think that we will have our victory,” a Yushchenko supporter said.
Whoever wins, and it certainly looks like Yushchenko right now, certainly has a tough row to hoe, as Ukraine has been torn in half by this election.
The election will determine Ukraine’s relationship with Europe and Russia. Yushchenko has stronger ties to the West than does Yanukovych.
The winner will face the challenge of uniting the country and building stability. Ukraine is divided geographically, with people in eastern and southern regions of the country largely supporting Yanukovych and those in other areas, including Kiev, mostly backing Yushchenko.
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If Yushchenko wins, he will also face the challenge of building a relationship with Russia.
Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma has called on whoever loses to congratulate the winner the next day to help build stability. Asked whether he would call Yushchenko if the polls prove accurate, Yanukovych said he would do so, with regret.
He has argued that the new election was unnecessary and unconstitutional. But international monitors condemned irregularities and fraud in last month’s vote, and Ukraine’s supreme court ultimately ruled the results invalid.
To say the winner is inheriting a nightmare, both internationally and domestically, is certainly accurate.