One leading candidate has spent weeks in Austrian hospitals recovering from what his campaign officials claim was a poisoning attempt from his main opposition. The other collapsed while about to board his campaign bus, claiming he was struck by a blunt object in the head in an assassination attempt - when in fact it was an egg that hit him.
A week before arguably the most important United States Presidential election in the last half century, the citizens of Ukraine are within five days of lining up to vote in the most critical presidential election of their country's short, 13-year history. The election pits two candidates against one another whose differences on crucial issues make the differences between Bush and Kerry seem completely insignificant, and whose campaign tactics of make those of our presidential candidates seem like child's play.
Though dozens of people are running for President, the leading candidates, Victor Yushchenko - the former Prime Minister of Ukraine - and Victor Yanukovich, the current Prime Minister, have turned the election into a two-man race. Neither front-runner is expected to win the outright majority, with the likely immediate result being a run-off on November 21.
The first Victor wants to improve economic and political relations with the West, favors eventual NATO membership and even strives for the lofty goal of achieving the standards necessary for membership to the European Union. If elected President, he will pull out the 1,600 troops stationed in Iraq under Polish command and work to erase the corruption that existed during current President Leonid Kuchma's 10-year term. (Presidents serve five year terms in Ukraine and can seek reelection one time.)
The second Victor could not be more different. He favors strengthening ties with Russia, making Russian an official language in Ukraine, and claims that he will not pull troops out of Iraq until democratic elections are held. He is not interested in improving relations with Western Europe and the United States, and he seeks to carry out the legacy of the current President.
Thus, the stark differences between the two candidates, especially in the realm of foreign policy, make the differences between Bush and Kerry pale in comparison. But the campaign tactics of the candidates and their supporters, as well as the possibility of election fraud, paint an even darker picture of a country that has been marred by political scandal and corruption for the last 10 years.
Aside from each Victor claiming that he has survived an assassination attempt, the current political environment in Ukraine is beyond heated - in fact, it borders on absolute violence. Journalists have been assaulted, the Organization for Security and Exchange (OSCE) in Europe has reported that campaign events have been disrupted, and students and public officials have faced pressure to support Yanukovich's candidacy. A military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of Kiev's liberation from the Nazi occupation on November 6, 1944, has been pushed forward to Oct. 28, just three days before the election, a clear indication that the parade is being used as a political ploy.
Unfortunately, this environment is hardly surprising to most Ukrainians and Ukrainian-Americans. In the last five years, a prominent muckraking journalist who worked to expose political scandal was beheaded, military equipment was sold to Iraq by top government officials just months before the beginning of the war and there have been numerous allegations of blatant election fraud in local elections. President Kuchma has denied involvement in any of these activities, but has lost trust and credibility in the eyes of most Ukrainians.
As a result, Ukrainians have become tired of scandals and corruption, and hundreds of international election monitors will be dispatched to help the upcoming election run as fairly as possible. Hopefully, the election will be free and just, but very little international attention will be placed on the Ukrainian presidential election due to its timing - it will occur a mere two days before the American election.
America is not the only country in the world facing a crucial election that could change the course of a nation. Ukraine, a country of 47 million people that lies on an important crossroads in Europe, is on the eve of an election that could drastically change the course of Eastern European politics for decades to come.
Stephan Vitvitsky is a junior majoring in political science and economics. He can be reached via e-mail at Stephan.Vitvitsky@Tufts.edu.
