ELECTION WATCH (10/17/04)

ELECTION WATCH

Washington protests use of U.S. images

KYIV - The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has said the use of images of U.S. politicians and the American flag on political posters in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable, Interfax reported on October 7, quoting the Embassy's press service. The Embassy was referring to large stocks of campaign leaflets and posters caricaturing opposition presidential candidate and Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko as a puppet of the United States. The Ukrainska Pravda website (http://www2.pravda.com.ua/) on October 6 posted reproductions of a dozen anti-Yushchenko campaign materials found by Yushchenko supporters at storehouses of the Ekspotsentr exhibition center in Kyiv. The Yushchenko campaign staff estimates that there may be up to 500 million copies of anti-Yushchenko leaflets at the Ekspotsentr storehouses. Some of them depict U.S. President George W. Bush and the U.S. flag with slogans reading "We are for Our Ukraine," "Yes! Yushchenko is our president," and "Yes! For Bushchenko." One of the posters depicts Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian national poet of the 19th century, and a slogan reading "Yankee! Go Home!" (RFE/RL Newsline)

Joke website is blocked

KYIV - The Ukrainska Pravda website reported on October 12 that a website presenting anecdotes about Ukrainian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych (http://www.yanukovych.nm.ru) has been blocked for surfers using the connection supplied by the Ukrainian companies Ukrtelekom and Ukrsat. Ukrtelekom is a state-run telecommunications giant in Ukraine, while Ukrsat is described by Ukrainska Pravda as a company "close to the authorities." Jokes about Mr. Yanukovych began to circulate on the Internet shortly after an egg attack on him in Ivano-Frankivsk on September 24. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yushchenko to up subsistence minimum

KYIV - Opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko on October 12 informed journalists of the first five decrees he intends to issue after he is elected president of Ukraine, Interfax reported. Mr. Yushchenko said the first decree will establish the subsistence minimum for 2005 at 423 hrv ($80) per month. The edict will also stipulate that the minimum monthly wage and pension should not be lower than the subsistence minimum. The current subsistence minimum in Ukraine is 362 hrv, while the minimum monthly wage is 237 hrv. A month ago, Prime Minister and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych decided to double the minimum monthly pension from 137 hrv to 284.6 hrv, which is the country's subsistence minimum for disabled persons, as of September. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Printing of ballots begins

KYIV - Two Ukrainian printing houses have started printing a total of nearly 40 million ballots for the October 31 presidential vote, Ukrainian media reported last week. There will be 24 names on the ballot. The presidential race initially had 26 candidates, but two withdrew. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Putin notes Russian interest in election

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin said after meeting with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Ukrainian Prime Minister and presidential hopeful Viktor Yanukovych on October 9 that Moscow will respect whatever choice Ukraine makes in its October 31 presidential vote, Komsomolskaya Pravda and other media reported. Russia "is not indifferent to the choice that the people of Ukraine will make in the presidential election," the Russian president said, according to ITAR-TASS, adding that "the fate of bilateral relations" hinges on developments in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leaders were in Moscow for talks and to attend a birthday celebration for Mr. Putin. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russian state TV highlights heir apparent

MOSCOW - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yanukovych attended the opening of a national congress of Russian Ukrainians in the Kremlin's Hall of Columns on October 8, RTR, NTV and ORT reported. Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov and many prominent political and entertainment figures were also present at the event. NTV noted on October 9 that there are more than 3 million ethnic Ukrainians in Russia, 500,000 of whom are Ukrainian citizens and presumably potential voters. Mr. Yanukovych reiterated a pledge to introduce dual citizenship and to introduce Russian as a state language in Ukraine if he is elected president. NTV suggested that Mr. Yanukovych's popularity among Ukrainian voters in Russia has been enhanced by a "massive propaganda campaign" sponsored by the Kremlin. ORT showed billboards and banners in Moscow backing Mr. Yanukovych, while it noted that there are virtually no similar signs for his main rival in the presidential race, Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Church leaders discuss elections

KYIV - The spiritual and moral aspects of the electoral process were discussed at a meeting of the heads and delegated representatives of the Christian Churches of Ukraine on September 30. The meeting took place as part of the general work being done to establish cooperation between the Christian Churches of Ukraine. A statement of the leaders of the Christian Churches of Ukraine to the Ukrainian people concerning Ukraine's presidential election followed as a result. Perspectives for future cooperation between the Churches in the defense of human life were also discussed, as was the situation of legislative bills concerning the activities of religious organizations and civic morals. The following participated in the meeting: Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate; Bishop Vasyl Medvit, exarch of Kyiv and Vyshhorod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church; Bishop Stanislaw Shyrokoradiuk of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine; Hryhorii Komendant, president of the All-Ukrainian Union of the Association of Evangelical Baptists; Mykhailo Panochko, head of the All-Ukraine Union of Churches of the Evangelical Christian Faith-Pentecostals; Volodymyr Krupskyi, president of the Ukrainian Union of the Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church; Elder Bishop Leonid Padun, head of the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church; Senior Presbyter Vasyl Raichynets of the Union of Free Churches of Evangelical Christians of Ukraine; Franz Shumeiko, president of the Brotherhood of Independent Churches and Missions of Evangelical Baptists of Ukraine; and members of the Council of Representatives of the Christian Churches of Ukraine. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

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