Kiev, Ukraine
A defiant Viktor Yushchenko declared himself president of Ukraine this week as the country erupted in protest over a disputed runoff election. The state election commission declared the pro-Russian candidate, Viktor Yanukovich, the narrow winner over pro-Western opposition leader Yushchenko. But international observers said that the vote was illegitimate because of ballot stuffing, poll blocking, and other illegal practices designed to favor Yanukovich, the man President Leonid Kuchma handpicked to be his successor. Hundreds of thousands of angry Ukrainian voters braved freezing temperatures this week to camp out in Kiev’s central square in support of Yushchenko. “We appeal to the parliaments and nations of the world,” Yushchenko said, “to bolster the will of the Ukrainian people, to support their aspiration to return to democracy.”
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