Ukraine gets ready for another political disruption

The third round of the election might exacerbate the situation in the country even more

Ukraine will hold the re-run of the second round of the presidential election on Sunday. The majority of analysts believe that the leader of the Ukrainian opposition, Viktor Yushchenko, will win the runoff. However, Yanukovich's followers constantly dispute the latest editing of the national election law, which makes many specialists think that the revote might not take place (or if it does take place then the results will be announced as fabricated again). That is why no one knows how long the Ukrainian poll crisis may last.

Both Yushchenko and Yanukovich continued their agitation after the second election round. However, the candidates' resources have been exhausted now. Yanukovich was running his campaign among Ukrainian politicians and businessmen before. This time, however, the Ukrainian prime minister decided to go out in the streets and talk to his electorate.

Yanukovich's public speeches are all similar: the prime minister tells people that Leonid Kuchma's regime is a vestige of Ukraine's past, and that Yanukovich himself will become the “new power” in the country. He also says that the USA has been funding his rival Yushchenko to organize the notorious “orange revolution.” Viktor Yanukovich has developed another peculiar feature prior to the final rerun: the prime minister has stopped speaking Ukrainian in public. One shall presume that Yanukovich lays his hopes on the Russian-speaking part of the electorate, who basically live in the east of Ukraine.

Yanukovich's followers in the parliament, the Party of the Regions faction has filed a motion to the constitutional court of Ukraine with a requirement to find the new election law illegitimate. If the court supports the faction, it will be impossible to hold the voting, because the previous editing of the Ukrainian election law does not stipulate a third round. If the court makes its decision after the runoff takes place, Viktor Yanukovich will file a lawsuit to the Supreme Court with a requirement to cancel the results.

There is another variant to exacerbate the political situation in Ukraine: armed clashes between the followers of the two candidates. President Leonid Kuchma will act as a peacemaker in this case and will keep his position for a certain period of time.

Viktor Yushchenko gave his last pre-election press conference two days ago: “The disruption of the election is a working variant. I call upon the minister for internal affairs and the chairman of the security service to fulfill their duty and protect the citizens,” Yushchenko stated.

One could see at the press conference that Mr. Yushchenko was feeling like a president already. When a reporter started her question with the words “If you win…” Yushchenko did not let her finish: ‘Why do you say if? The victory will be mine!” said he.