POLITICS: Exit Polls Say Challenger Yushchenko Wins Ukraine Election

After a long and twisted story including poisoning, election fruad, riots, and rumors of Russian meddling the election in Ukraine appears to be resolved. According to exit polls, the liberal Yushchenko has won handily. The previous election, which was plagued by blantant fraud, had ended with the incumbent ahead despite exit polls to the contrary.

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The margin seems overwhelming and it is hopeful that this time the results will stick. This election is likely to remain in the memory of democracies for a long time as an example of how a crooked election is to be overturned. The big question for me is this; given the tremendous tension and close race in American politics, should we be concerned about seeing more controversial repeats of this scenario in the future, perhaps in America?

I can't answer your quetion but I have one of my own after reading the article.



A country on it's third round of voting in a race with this much controversy, world attention and implications for the future of this nation only garners a 55 percent turnout? I just don't get it.

What is wrong with this picture?

Time Magazine reports that Putin is very keen on a Yanukovych victory:
There's also the risk a wayward Ukraine could damage relations between Moscow and the West. During the campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not hide his sympathies: he visited Ukraine twice to broadcast his support for Yanukovych. Political consultants and media specialists close to the Kremlin played a major role in shaping both the strategy and the message of the Yanukovych campaign, and according to specialists like the Carnegie Endowment's Anders Aslund, Russia pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into his election bid. On Monday, Putin was the first world leader to congratulate the Prime Minister on his victory, a full two days before the Electoral Commission declared him President-elect. Sources well briefed on Kremlin affairs tell TIME that as protests in Kiev gathered momentum, Putin urged the much-discredited outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, eager to secure a safe retirement amid charges of corruption and political violence, to declare Yanukovych the winner. The sources say Putin made it clear that Moscow would not accept a Yushchenko victory.

I find it funny how Western media is so eager to report that their guy has won. Exit poles also said Gore had won in 2000.

The results will be taken to court again. This isn't even close to being over.