Posted on 11/27/2004 8:59:06 PM PST by .cnI redruM
The Ukranian election has become a crisis that could have resonance this Winter in Iraq. The contest proved close and its results dubious. This has led to a crisis in the streets of Kiev and a test case for what might happen if the election results in Iraq don't wind up being crystal clear.
Ukraine's Central Election Commission declared Viktor Yanukovych the winner by a tally of 49-46. This result suggests a tight election, but a discernable majority. However, 4 out of the 15 people in charge of certifying Ukainian elections have thrown the red challange flag and announced they believed the results illigitimate.
According to CNN, the four dissenting election commissioners were not the only people unconvinced that the election was fair and valid. According to Ted Turner's info sources,
protests from Viktor Yushchenko and his supporters -- and international election observers -- began before the final results were announced.
Ukrain's Parliament has taken an extremely courageous step. They have passed a resolution declaring the election invalid. The measure lacks legal teeth, because the Ukranian Constitution doesn't task the Ukranian Parliament with election oversight. However, again according to CNN, the parliament studies its options.
Meanwhile, the followers of Yushenko protest and shut down government buildings over what they precieve as a gross injustice. The Parliament has asked the demonstrators to stand down in return for which the legislatures would set up a new election and reform the election commission.
The crisis has received intense international attention. US Secretary of State Colin Powell totally denounced the election. President Bush was actually less hawkish than Secretary Powell. However, he reinforced the incredulity Powell initially expressed with the results in the following statement.
"There's just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that place their elections, the validity of their elections, in doubt," Bush said. "The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this, and hopefully it'll be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government." -CNN
People outside the international community and the US Government are also watching. Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi watches and wonders just what the international community will do when an election gets stolen right in front of their observers. He hopes that Ukranians behaving like Hugo Chavez won't find a patsy Jimmy Carter to bail their boats.
Another intrested party, Abu-Masab al-Zarqawi, will watch events unfold for a different reason. The Ukranian election scandal is a test for the US. The results that occur in Kiev will effect the results that occur in Baghdad.
The crisis in The Ukraine has to get resolved in a way that upholds the will of their electorate. The outcome in this election resonates throughout the world.
Bump
Not really.
One election is easier to hijack than a slate of 275 parliamentary slots in a national election.
This is another reason why the electoral college is a good idea btw, you cant seriously have massive fraud in indirect elections like they are planning in Iraq.
People are being fools, like Pavlov's dog they react to key words like anti-Russian or Western, never mind that this is the Franco-Germanic-Spanish West which dispises the Anglo West of America-England-Australia.
Stupid is as Stupid does.
I'm referring to that turd bastard's direct control of the Ukrainian "revolution".
I disagree. The fact that the Iraqi population has an election will be a success in and of itself.
Secondly, only the people with the power to do so, can steal an election. In Iraq, the people in power are the US military. The US leadership will have an enormous challenge trying to counter the liberal media's inevitable campaign to de-ligitimize any Iraqi election result. It wouldn't make sense for the administration to allow any tampering with the election results.
If the election is sooo stolen, explain why half of Ukraine is in the process of succeeding from the other half, right now. And it happens that that half is the one that voted Yukoshenko, has all the agriculture, industry and over 50% of the population. Oh and there's no protests in that half either. Hmmm.
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