{
  "id": "RL32691",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32691",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 102198,
      "date": "2005-02-01",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:55:02.075029",
      "title": "Ukraine's Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Issues",
      "summary": "In 2004, many observers believed that Ukraine was at a key period in its transition that could\nshape\nits geopolitical orientation for years to come, in part due to presidential elections held on October\n31, November 21, and December 26, 2004. In their view, Ukraine could move closer to integration\nin Euro-Atlantic institutions, real democracy and the rule of law, and a genuine free market economy,\nor it could move toward a Russian sphere of influence with \u201cmanaged democracy\u201d\nand an oligarchic\neconomy. For the past decade, Ukraine\u2019s political scene had been dominated by President\nLeonid\nKuchma and the oligarchic \u201cclans\u201d (regionally based groups of powerful politicians\nand\nbusinessmen) that have supported him. The oligarchs chose Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as\ntheir candidate to succeed Kuchma as President. The chief opposition candidate, former Prime\nMinister Viktor Yushchenko, was a pro-reform, pro-Western figure seen by many observers as a man\nof high personal integrity.\n \n International observers criticized the election campaign and the first and second rounds of the\nelection as not free and fair, citing such factors as government-run media bias in favor of\nYanukovych, abuse of absentee ballots, barring of opposition representatives from electoral\ncommissions, and inaccurate voter lists. Nevertheless, Yushchenko topped the first round of the vote\non October 31 by a razor-thin margin over Yanukovych. Other candidates finished far behind. After\nthe November 21 runoff between the two top candidates, Ukraine\u2019s Central Election\nCommission\nproclaimed Yanukovych the winner. Yushchenko\u2019s supporters charged that massive fraud\nhad been\ncommitted. They blockaded government offices in Kiev and appealed to the Ukrainian Supreme\nCourt to invalidate the vote as fraudulent. The court did so on December 3, calling for a repeat of\nthe second round on December 26. Yushchenko won the December 26 re-vote, with 51.99% of the\nvote to Yanukovych\u2019s 44.19%. After several court challenges by Yanukovych were rejected,\nYushchenko was inaugurated as President of Ukraine on January 23, 2005.\n \n The European Union and the United States strongly denounced electoral fraud in Ukraine in\nthe first two rounds, and hailed the largely free and fair conduct of the repeat vote. In contrast,\nRussian President Vladimir Putin openly backed Yanukovych and publicly congratulated him on his\n\u201cvictory\u201d soon after the second round vote. Russian officials have charged that the\nUnited States and\nthe European Union\u2019s charges of electoral fraud were an attempt to bring Ukraine under\nwestern\ninfluence. U.S. policymakers must tackle such difficult issues as how to promote democracy in\nUkraine, Ukraine\u2019s possible troop withdrawal from Iraq, and U.S.-Russian tensions over\nUkraine\u2019s\nfuture geopolitical orientation. \n \n The 109th Congress adopted legislation on the Ukrainian elections.  H.Con.Res. 16  and  S.Con.Res. 7  congratulated Ukraine for its commitment to democracy and its\nresolution of its political crisis in a peaceful manner, and pledged U.S. help to Ukraine\u2019s\nefforts to\ndevelop democracy, a free market economy, and integrate into the international community of\ndemocracies. This report will not be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8201/",
      "id": "RL32691 2004-12-14",
      "date": "2004-12-14",
      "retrieved": "2006-02-24T12:19:55",
      "title": "Ukraine's Political Crisis: Ukrainian Presidential Elections and U.S. Policy",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Elections",
          "name": "Elections"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign relations - Ukraine - U.S.",
          "name": "Foreign relations - Ukraine - U.S."
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Ukraine",
          "name": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Ukraine"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Elections - Ukraine",
          "name": "Elections - Ukraine"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Foreign policy",
          "name": "Foreign policy"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "European Affairs",
    "Foreign Affairs"
  ]
}