Current Events: Ukraine Elections, Cont'd

Apparently the presidential election in Ukraine was more interesting than I first believed. To set the stage again, it was Viktor Yanukovych vs. Viktor Yushchenko. (Forgive me for calling them Yanu and Yush from here on out, but their names are too similar). All I knew was that, in the middle of counting the votes, Yanu was winning even though Yush had won the exit polls. It struck me as funny and ironic, nothing more.

But many more events have transpired in the last few days:

First off, I know a little more about the candidates now. Yanu is supported by the current president, Kuchma or something, as well as Russia. He's more or less the "bad guy," as far as Americans are concerned. Yush, on the other hand, likes Europe and the West. He's more or less the "good guy." (I still have a very shallow understanding about them, but it appears as if we would like Yush to win the Ukrainian presidency, if we care at all.)

Second, the election was surrounded in controversy even greater than Florida in 2000. Fraud, mistakes, intimidation---the whole bit. So when somebody announced that the official results were that Yanu beat Yush 49%-46%, Yush's folks wouldn't buy it. Neither did the U.S. or other western nations. There were huge protests on the streets. Surprisingly, they were all pretty peaceful. Yush tried to stage a huge strike, but that didn't go too well.

At first, leaders were ready to declare Yanu the new president, but then they decided to go to the complicated court system. They have said that there's no clear winner, and the results are invaldi, and now there's the possibility of a whole new election.

I still don't know why we should care who's the president of Ukraine, but I'm sure the people of Ukraine do care. A lot. We're not the only country with election issues. We're not the only country that's "divided." But from what I've heard, Ukraine is a lot less bitter than we are. Both sides believe they have won, but they seem to place the true decision of the people higher than their own political gain. The quotes I've read---they just sound so much nicer than what I'm used to hearing. And it's not just the politicians, too. The reports I read of the "riots" and rallies---everyone was getting along, respecting the policemen, and just being nice to each other. Could that have happened in America? I have my doubts.

Again, I have a shallow understanding of this, and I could be wrong. But perhaps we can learn a lesson from the Ukrainians:

Be nice!

Edmond the Hun