NEWSBRIEFS

Election in Ukraine subject of TV link

WASHINGTON - U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in a live television link between Washington and Kyiv on March 4 that the United States is watching Ukraine's election campaign very carefully in order to assess "whether Ukraine will show in a clear way that it is ready to be a member of the international community of democratic states," 1+1 Television reported. Dr. Rice suggested that the further improvement of U.S.-Ukrainian relations is dependent on whether the election will be fair and democratic. She also rejected a Ukrainian journalist's suggestion that Washington is trying to influence the Ukrainian election campaign in an effort to place pro-U.S. politicians in government. In answer to a question about a possible meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Dr. Rice said such a possibility will be considered by Washington after the election, provided that "there is an opportunity to move the U.S.-Ukrainian relations forward." Dr. Rice also said the U.S. is interested in seeing the completion of the investigation into journalist Heorhii Gongadze's murder, adding that a team of FBI experts will arrive in Ukraine in April to assist the investigation. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Blocs to conduct alternate vote count

KYIV - The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Viktor Yuschenko's Our Ukraine, and the Socialist Party headed by Oleksander Moroz have pooled their efforts to organize an alternative vote count in the March 31 parliamentary election, UNIAN reported on February 27. The news was communicated to journalists in Kharkiv by Ms. Tymoshenko, who said the collection of the officially confirmed voting results from polling stations will allow the three blocs to announce election results ahead of the Central Election Commission and, in this way, "to prevent [the commission] from falsifying the results as they did in the past election." Ms. Tymoshenko added that one should expect falsification of election results primarily from the For a United Ukraine bloc, which has 0 percent support among voters but will obtain 10 to 12 percent of the vote "owing to compulsion and force [applied to] people." (RFE/RL Newsline)

HIV spreads alarmingly in Ukraine

WASHINGTON - An editor's note in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) on "The Global Spread of HIV" noted that an epidemic in former Soviet countries may be imminent. The article cites The New York Times of January 23, which reported: "Ukraine is a case in point. While HIV is still spreading fastest via shared needles and sex work, there has been a clear shift to the larger population." AJPH Editor-in-Chief Mary Northridge, Ph.D., M.P.H., added: "Health officials are alarmed by the inability of the cash-strapped government to rein in the spread of HIV despite relatively progressive policies, including using police officers to hand out syringes to injection drug users. The moment to act is now as HIV bores deeper into the Ukrainian population." (American Journal of Public Health)

A warning about "dead souls"

KYIV - The Our Ukraine election bloc has warned that the authorities may take advantage of some 1.5 million "dead souls" to rig the March 31 parliamentary election, UNIAN reported on March 9. Our Ukraine campaign chief Petro Poroshenko noted that, according to official data, there are currently 38 million eligible voters in Ukraine. "This is strange, since such a figure was cited at both the previous parliamentary [1998] and presidential [1999] elections," Mr. Poroshenko commented, adding that last year's census showed that Ukraine's population has "considerably" decreased over the past years. According to Mr. Poroshenko, the number of voters may have decreased by as many as 1.5 million. He noted that the authorities may rig the vote by adding votes to the "party of power" from the cadre of 1.5 million "dead souls." (RFE/RL Newsline)

TV slams Our Ukraine's campaign ...

KYIV - ICTV Television on March 6 accused the Our Ukraine election bloc led by former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko of planning reprisals in the event it wins the March 31 ballot. "The bloc's campaign has developed two new trends: threats and intimidation," ICTV presenter Dmitrii Kiselev told viewers. The station then broadcast a report from the campaign rally of Our Ukraine's candidate Roman Zvarych in Ivano-Frankivsk that showed Mr. Zvarych saying, "the bloc of Viktor Yushchenko will present an ultimatum to the president and those concerned that the districts where we won over 50 percent should be governed by our people." A correspondent added: "This is what awaits voters after the election." ICTV is part owned by Viktor Pinchuk, an election candidate of the pro-government For a United Ukraine bloc in a single-seat constituency in Dnipropetrovsk and the husband of President Leonid Kuchma's daughter. (RFE/RL Newsline)

... warns against Western plot

KYIV - ICTV presenter Dmitrii Kiselev suggested to viewers on March 7 that the row in the Verkhovna Rada over Mykola Melnychenko's tapes, the death of state-owned arms exporter Ukrspetseksport General Director Valeriy Maleyev and the reported agreement by former presidential bodyguard Mr. Melnychenko to testify in the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko in California may be different elements of a single international plot to thwart the Ukrainian parliamentary election. "All this is happening in one week, three weeks before the end of the election campaign. It is obvious that only a super-powerful structure could be strong enough to carry out such a global-scale coordination ... The West is paving the way, well in advance, for the future non-recognition of parliamentary election results. The U.S. ambassador [to Ukraine], Carlos Pascual, obviously with a view to the future, has already voiced U.S. concerns about bias on television and administrative pressure," Mr. Kiselev said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Has voting already started?

KYIV - Our Ukraine's press service reported on March 7 that the election commission in a constituency in Kirovohrad, central Ukraine, has already inaugurated a voting process by collecting signatures from voters confirming that they were given ballots. Our Ukraine warns that such a practice is illegal and may lead to vote falsification, arguing that if the voters who signed the voting lists fail to appear at the polls on March 31, their ballots will be filled and cast by the commission. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Deputy charges presidential complicity

KYIV - National Deputy Oleksander Zhyr, the head of the temporary parliamentary commission dealing with the murder of journalist Heorhii Gongadze, told the Verkhovna Rada on March 7 that the commission possesses materials testifying to President Leonid Kuchma's complicity in illegal arms trade, UNIAN reported. Mr. Zhyr said such information is on audio recordings made by former presidential bodyguard Mykola Melny-chenko, adding that the authenticity of the audiotapes was confirmed by a recent U.S. expert examination. National Deputy Oleksander Yeliashkevych proposed to give Mr. Zhyr's commission the right to deal with issues connected with President Kuchma's impeachment, but fellow deputies declined the proposal. Mr. Zhyr subsequently proposed that the Parliament hold a special session on March 12 to discuss the situation in Ukraine in view of the fact that the Melnychenko tapes were confirmed as authentic, but lawmakers rejected that motion as well. (RFE/RL Newsline)

CEC warns Socialist Party on video

KYIV - The Central Election Commission has warned the Socialist Party for broadcasting an election campaign video on Ukrainian Television on February 21 in which President Leonid Kuchma, presidential staff chief Volo-dymyr Lytvyn and former Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Kravchenko were accused of involvement in the disappearance of journalist Heorhii Gongadze, UNIAN reported. The commission said the video violated the constitutional right of every citizen to be presumed innocent until found guilty by a court ruling. The Socialist Party's video presented excerpts from the tapes of Mykola Melnychenko, in which Messrs. Kuchma, Lytvyn and Kravchenko appear to discuss how to get rid of Gongadze. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Station closed after Yushchenko speech

NIKOPOL - The Kanal-5 local television channel in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, has been closed after broadcasting an address by Our Ukraine bloc leader Viktor Yushchenko on March 2, the Our Ukraine press service reported on March 6. Kanal-5 Director Kostiantyn Liaschenko, who is running for Nikopol mayor, said Mr. Yushchenko was denied airtime on other channels; therefore, he gave some of his own airtime for Mr. Yushchenko's address when the former prime minister was visiting Nikopol. Mr. Liaschenko added that the local state electricity board unlawfully switched off the television company's transmitter on March 5. (RFE/RL Newsline)

PACE comments on election campaign

KYIV - Summing up her visit to Ukraine, Hanne Severinsen, the head of a monitoring mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), told journalists in Kyiv on March 1 that the parliamentary election campaign has been marred by fear, harassment and intimidation, Reuters reported. "Sixty percent of local electoral committees are controlled by pro-presidential parties ... And [we are] very concerned over repeated statements about the misuse of power resulting from illegal usage of administrative resources by pro-presidential forces, particularly in the regions," Ms. Severinsen noted. "There is absolutely no political dialogue, there is just fear," she added. However, Ms. Severinsen also said the current campaign is more democratic than the 1999 presidential election, adding that candidates now have more freedom to declare their views and protest violations in courts. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukrainian opposition activist attacked

DONETSK - Lawmaker Valentyn Zubov, the head of the opposition Fatherland Party's regional branch in Donetsk, was attacked in Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, on March 2, UNIAN reported. The attack took place at the town's railway station in front of a wagon of the Kyiv-Luhansk train just as Mr. Zubov was receiving a parcel containing the plan and route for Fatherland Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko's tour of the region planned for March 5-6. The attackers were three athletically built men who knocked Mr. Zubov over, beat him and snatched the parcel from his hands. Mr. Zubov views the attack as designed to acquire information about the tour in order to disrupt Ms. Tymoshenko's visit to the Donetsk Oblast. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Supreme Court reinstates Raiduha bloc

KYIV - The Supreme Court on February 28 ruled that the decision of the Central Election Commission on the annulment of the registration of the Raiduha (Rainbow) environmental bloc was illegitimate, Interfax reported. There are currently 33 parties and blocs on the ballot in the country's parliamentary elections scheduled for March 31. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Crimean commission ousts 30 candidates

SYMFEROPOL - The Election Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on February 26 canceled the registration of 30 candidates seeking mandates in the 100-member Crimean legislature in the March 31 ballot, the UNIAN news service reported. A majority of those ejected from the election belong to two groups opposing the Crimean Bloc of Leonid Hrach: the Kunitsyn Team and the Transparent Power Civic Committee. The ousted candidates include former Crimean Premier Serhii Kunitsyn, who heads the election bloc bearing his name. The previous day, a court in Symferopol had annulled the registration of Mr. Hrach, the leader of the Crimean branch of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Crimean Election Commission Chairman Ivan Poliakov denied that the commission took Mr. Hrach's side by canceling the registration of his key political opponents, Interfax reported on February 27. Meanwhile, Crimean Communists have pitched seven tents on Symferopol's central square, protesting the annulment of Mr. Hrach's registration. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tensions mount over Hrach case

SYMFEROPOL - Addressing a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters in Symferopol on February 27, the chairman of the Crimean Parliament and leader of the local Communist Party Leonid Hrach suggested that he will appeal to Crimean residents to boycott the March 31 legislative election if he is not reinstated as a candidate for a seat in the Crimean legislature, Interfax reported. "The election in Crimea will take place only if Hrach and his bloc participate in it as candidates," he said. Mr. Hrach was banned from running by a court decision. He did not rule out the possibility of holding a referendum in Crimea to accede to the Russian Federation. "If Kyiv and its vassals continue what they are doing by bringing unprecedented political and legal pressure to bear on us, we will reserve the right, in particular, to speak of a referendum," Mr. Hrach said. Moreover, Mr. Hrach announced that he intends to run in the presidential election in 2004. "Let them fear me," he told the rally in Symferopol. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Idea of separatist referendum rebuffed

KYIV - Verkhovna Rada Vice-Chairman Stepan Havrysh said on February 28 that Crimean Parliament Chairman Leonid Hrach's suggestion that a referendum be held on acceding Crimea to the Russian Federation is "an impetuous, ill-considered and totally groundless statement that sounds like blackmail," New Channel Television reported. "It is an extremely dangerous way to add fuel to the artificial conflict on the Crimean Peninsula," Mr. Havrysh added. "Hrach should understand that, apart from political slogans, there is responsibility - not only political - for calls beyond the limits of current legislation," presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn commented. Mr. Lytvyn said the situation in Crimea is stable and under control, adding that statements about thousand-strong rallies in support of Mr. Hrach have nothing to do with reality. A court decision last month annulled Mr. Hrach's election bid in Crimea, provoking tension and protests. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russian politicians appeal to Kuchma

KYIV - A group of prominent Russian politicians - Sergei Shoigu, Yurii Luzhkov, Gennadii Zyuganov, Boris Nemtsov and Gennadii Raikov - have appealed to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to "restore justice" with regard to Leonid Hrach by giving him the opportunity to take part in the upcoming election, ITAR-TASS reported on February 27. "The removal from the electoral campaign under invented pretexts of Leonid Hrach, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic [of Crimea], is evidence of the activation of the forces that intend to undermine the relations between Ukraine and Russia," the agency quoted from the appeal. UNIAN quoted presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn as saying that statements of "some Russian politicians" regarding the ban on Mr. Hrach's election bid "are coming close to interference in Ukraine's internal affairs." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Hrach opponents complain of 'revenge'

SYMFEROPOL - Transparent Govern-ment Civic Committee head Andrii Senchenko on February 27 said the decision of the Election Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to cancel the registration of 30 candidates from his group and the Kunitsyn Team is Leonid Hrach's "revenge" for the court decision annulling his election bid, UNIAN reported. Former Crimean Prime Minister Serhii Kunitsyn, who leads the election bloc bearing his name, expressed a similar view by saying that Crimea's Election Commission is being "controlled" by Mr. Hrach. "What is going on in Crimea is an attempt to exert pressure on and to blackmail the Ukrainian political authorities. Can you imagine a governor banished from the race somewhere in Russia threatening with a referendum to join Ukraine or some other country?" New Channel Television quoted Mr. Kunitsyn as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Hrach appeals disqualification

SYMFEROPOL - Crimean Supreme Council Chairman Leonid Hrach on March 6 said he has filed an appeal with the Crimean Court of Appeals against the decision of the Central District Court in Symferopol to rescind his registration as a Crimean parliamentary candidate, UNIAN reported. Speaking on ICTV Television the same day, Mr. Hrach said the annulment of his election registration in Crimea is an attempt at his "political assassination." ICTV reported that the work of the Crimean Election Commission has been paralyzed because of continuing sick leaves of five commission members, who are supporters of the Hrach-led Crimean Communist Party. Meanwhile, the acting head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Volodymyr Stefaniuk, told UNIAN that the annulment of Mr. Hrach's registration as a candidate in Crimea cannot be rescinded by any authority, since the court decision on this was final and not subject to appeal. (RFE/RL Newsline)

CEC leaves Hrach leader in Rada race

KYIV - The Central Election Commission on March 11 rejected a motion by candidate Tetiana Korobova to annul the registration of Crimean Parliament Chairman Leonid Hrach as a candidate to the Verkhovna Rada on the list of the Communist Party, UNIAN reported. Ms. Korobova argued that Mr. Hrach violated Ukrainian legislation by providing false information about his property and income as well as by using his position as Crimean Parliament chairman to promote his election bid. Earlier a court in Symferopol had disqualified Mr. Hrach as a candidate to Crimea's Supreme Council by saying he committed exactly the same offenses. The commission in Kyiv ruled, however, that Mr. Hrach did not misinform it about his possessions and income, and did not take advantage of his official post for election campaign purposes. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 2002, No. 11, Vol. LXX

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