The future was Orange - Snap elections called in the Ukraine

On 30 September 2007, Ukrainian voters will again go to the polls (the third time in as many years) in a pre-term parliamentary election to elect 450 members of the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada).

The elections follow a prolonged political crisis that has roiled Ukraine ever since the ‘Orange Revolution’ of 2004. The next parliamentary elections were not scheduled until 2011, but in spring 2007, President Victor Yushenko dismissed the parliament and called for new elections in response to a perceived attempt by Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych to convince MPs to cross the floor to his coalition bloc. It was considered that Yanukovych was aiming to form a majority of 300 members; a critical figure, as this is the number of votes needed to initiate constitutional amendments and impeach the President.

The confrontation between Yushenko and Yanukovych dates to at least 2004 when they faced each other in a presidential election. Yanukovych was initially declared the winner, however, after reports of significant fraud by domestic and international observers the election was invalidated and the subsequent re-run was won by Yushenko.

The international media may have been quick to proclaim an Orange Revolution but Yushenko was never able to hold together the parties that supported him and the country became increasingly polarised. In particular, the regional divide between the ‘orange’ pro-Yushenko, pro-Europe forces in the West of the country and the ‘blue’ pro-Yanukovych, pro-Russia forces in the East and South remains pronounced.

TCC Project Officer – Richard Lappin – has been deployed to Ukraine as an OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Long Term Observer. OSCE observers are tasked to monitor the preparations for Election Day, the campaigning of political parties, media coverage, the pre-election administrative procedures, and the voting, counting and tabulation of the results themselves.

Richard is based in the region of Sumy, located in the north of the country (approx. 350km from Kiev) on the border with Russia. The region has an area of 23,800 square metres (3.9% of Ukraine), a strong agricultural sector and is the birthplace of President Yushenko. Administrative preparations for the elections are now underway in Sumy, with campaigning also visible in the major cities. At present, campaigning can be largely described as positive, focusing on social issues rather than the foreign policy objectives that have so-often polarised the country in the past.

Richard will remain in Ukraine until after the elections and will continue to post updates as the campaign develops and the future political direction of Ukraine becomes clearer.

Richard Lappin, Sumy - Ukraine, 9^th September 2007