Meanwhile, on the "maidan," the victory celebrations begin (01/02/05)

Meanwhile, on the "maidan," the victory celebrations begin

by Yana Sedova
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - Tens of thousands of people crowded Independence Square on the evening of the rerun of the Ukraine's presidential run-off election. Orange flags waved in the wind, and a cavalcade of cars decorated with the colors of the Orange Revolution drove through the city center sounding their horns.

Though the Central Election Committee hadn't yet announced the final result, the people were celebrating victory.

The first vote figures released that evening gave an indisputable lead to the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko.

An hourly live broadcast transmitted on several TV screens set up on the "maidan" was combined with musical performances on the square's central stage.

Kids hardly paid attention to the Grandfathers Frost walking to and fro in the crowd. Everyone seemed more concerned with politics.

"Mommy, when will Yushchenko come?" asked a 4-year-old boy watching the stage with intense eagerness. "Soon," his mother assured him.

Street vendors offered orange hats and scarves at a price of 30 to 40 hrv. By-passers carped at them, saying that the opposition staff should have handed out abundant supplies of orange wear instead of having profiteers benefit from the revolution. Nonetheless, some of them bought a scarf or a hat as a remembrance of historic events.

Soon afterwards, as if in reply to this indignation, an opposition mini-van appeared across the street. A young girl with handfuls of orange scarves handed them out to the children. She worked the crowd pursued by adults who were hopelessly begging her to give them also a scarf.

When the opposition candidate arrived past midnight he was greeted with shouts of joy. Mr. Yushchenko called the victory "elegant" and thanked the people for their support. He said Ukraine is on the eve of a new era and exhorted Ukrainians to work for the benefit of their country and their nation.

The world-famous Ukrainian singer Ruslana presented Mr. Yushchenko with a several-foot-long orange scarf that was hand-knitted by Polish and Ukrainian students.

As the people celebrated the victory of democracy, there was singing and dancing all night long.

Unarmed volunteer troops patrolled the main streets of the city in order to prevent possible turmoil, as before the rerun representatives of the opposing campaign staffs had expressed fear that trouble could flare up suddenly. For that reason, the idea of volunteer troops was supported by the Kyiv City Administration.

About 2,000 volunteers with special armbands and identity cards monitored the Presidential Administration Building, the Central Election Committee and Independence Square. The night passed without incident.

An intelligent older woman who introduced herself as "Pani Nina" from Ivano-Frankivsk, said she'd been waiting for this very moment for many years.

"I came here a month ago. I used to sleep on plastic foam in the tent city; I took part in a blockade of the Cabinet of Ministers and felt myself a participant of the revolution," she said with a smile.

Many people expressed concern about what the future parliamentary election will bring, while voicing hope that those who will be members of the Verkhovna Rada will be true patriots of their country without a blot on their characters. They don't think that the country will blossom in a year or two simply because Mr. Yushchenko became president.

"A new Ukraine was born. We must take care of it," said Roman of Lviv.

The people of Ukraine anchor their hopes on President-elect Yushchenko, but they are aware of hard times and are ready to work hard

Olga, a student of Kyiv's Karpenko-Karyi Theater Institute, said she hadn't cast a ballot because she had no right to vote yet. However, that did not stop her from participating in the Orange Revolution - she lived in Kyiv's tent city for the past month.

"I'm from Donetsk. My family voted for Yushchenko," she said, explaining, however, that her father was forced to go to Kyiv in support of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych under threat of immediate dismissal.

"Officials say a lot about the economic miracle of Donetsk. Well, this talk is all froth. People of small towns sell their flats for $500 or $700 and move to big cities looking for a better life. Many towns have turned into ghost towns," she said.

Ivan Yarechko arrived from Chicago more than a month ago; his sister lives in Kyiv. Noting that all the members of his family were observers in different cities of Ukraine, he called the latest events "a resurrection of Ukraine."

"It was easier to be in Chicago, but it is better to be here," he underscored.

Meanwhile, Kyiv's revolutionary mood is gradually taking on a New Year's atmosphere.

The Christmas tree that overlooks Independence Square is dressed up with garland, and nearby there is a composition of small spruces from all of Ukraine's regions. The trees are decorated with home-made toys.

Inhabitants of the tent city, some of whose tents are painted in bright colors, await the arrival of their friends who left a week ago to serve as election observers and members of electoral committees. Together they are going to celebrate the New Year on the maidan, and they are asking Kyivans to bring them Christmas items and toys to adorn their military tents.

It's sure to be a holiday like no other.

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