High Stakes in Ukraine’s Presidential Elections

Ariel Cohen / January 14, 2010

Much is at stake for Ukraine and the U.S. in Ukraine’s presidential elections, which are scheduled for January 17, 2010. Ukraine was a part of the Russian empire and the Soviet Union for almost 350 years and the Red Army re-conquered it after an attempted independence in 1918-1919.

Today, Ukraine is more democratic than its northern neighbor, but the population there is hit harder by the economic crisis. The showdown in the Ukrainian presidential election will define the country’s reorientation towards Moscow; affect the future of Ukraine’s gas pipeline system, which is strategic for Europe’s energy supply; and may seal the fate of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet based in Sevastopol (Crimea). All this is of great interest to the U.S.

Until recently, most experts expected Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to win the elections. She still might. But the New York Times discloses that the opinion poll released Wednesday January 13 by Russian state-run polling agency VTsIOM put businessman Sergei Tigipko slightly ahead, with 14.4 percent support against Tymoshenko’s 13.9 percent. Yanukovych was far ahead with 30.5 percent. There are a total of 18 candidates in the race, including a Vasyl Protyvsikh, the person who has changed his last name to mean “Against Everybody.” (more…)