Monday, Nov 01, 2004
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By Vladimir Radyuhin
MOSCOW, OCT. 31. Ukraine voted in presidential elections on Sunday seen as a proxy battle between Russia and the West for the second biggest former Soviet state. The two geopolitical adversaries have backed rival front-runners in a poll contested by 24 candidates, with Moscow throwing its weight behind the pro-Russian Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovich, who is the chosen successor of the outgoing President, Leonid Kuchma, and Washington supporting the pro-West Opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko.
Putin visit
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, paid a high-profile visit to Ukraine in the race's final days to answer viewers' questions in an unprecedented 60-minute call-in session broadcast live on all main Ukrainian TV channels. Mr. Putin called for closer integration between Russia and Ukraine and ordered an easing of travel rules for millions of Ukrainian workers in Russia. The West sees the Ukrainian vote as a choice between becoming part of Europe or joining the "Russian neo-empire." A powerful team of American political lobbyists, including Henry Kissinger, descended on Ukraine to campaign for Mr. Yushchenko, while the U.S. State Department said that the Ukrainian campaign "has fallen short of international democratic standards" and vowed to take `measures' should the vote be rigged by the state.
Close race
Surveys showed that the two main rivals are running neck and neck and a run-off vote is likely to be held to decide the winner. The election has split Ukraine in two, with the pro-Russian industrial south-east supporting Mr. Yanukovich and the poor agricultural west backing Mr. Yushchenko. Experts warned of possible violence after the poll if the Opposition candidate loses. The Government has deployed more than 6,000 security personnel in Kiev.
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