As I mentioned in a blog below, many Ukranians are up in arms over the outcome of last weekend's Presidential election. It appears that there was considerable vote fraud, and Ukranians have been bravely protesting the results in the streets. What makes this election especially interesting to the United States is that the Kremlin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) was backing the candidate who won the election. Influence over the Ukraine (which was formerly a part of the USSR) is considered very important to Russia, both politically and economically. Our Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has called the results of the election "unacceptable". How will this all impact our relationship with Russia?
A few details:
The election results were declared official on Monday
Numerous election monitors have reported widespread voting fraud and irregularities
On Thursday, Ukraine's Supreme Court has put publication of the election results on hold until the allegations of fraud and abuse can be investigated.
Today, the Parliament called the vote an inaccurate representation of the will of the people and the results invalid. (But parliament doesn't actually have the authority to overturn the results of the vote.)
Some in the country are calling for the entire election to be redone. Avoiding violence is a concern.
Details are all over the news, including the following link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6374820/
2 comments:
Tina, I think the problems we have had in recent close elections certainly merit some mention in your speech. I would encourage your group to look at U.S. History and world history in a more comprehensive way. By the time of the nation's founding the idea of one group of leaders peacefully surrendering power to their opponents after a close election was unheard of. People were afraid of the kind of thing that is happening in the Ukraine right now. Look at the election of 1800 as the best example of how the United States succeeded in this transition process. Bitter rivals Adams and Jefferson went through a bruising election, but for the first time in American history, one party stepped down and peacefully handed power to another party. Jefferson called it the "revolution of 1800" and every bit as important as the revolution of 1776. The WTP book discusses this in lesson 20 on pp. 104-105. Check it out.
Yeah I was reading about the "revolution of 1800" over break beacuse of the Ukraine elections. Sure our voting process has been (Florida anyone) subject to irregularities and accustations of fraud, but at least it never caused major violence and chaos to break out. ( which very well could happen in the Ukraine) --Ben J.
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