[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 25974-25975]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    UKRAINE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

  Mr. LUGAR. Madam President, on September 30, the people of Ukraine 
will return to the ballot box to vote in critical parliamentary 
elections. I rise today to express my hope that Ukraine preserves and 
extends the tremendous accomplishments they have achieved in 
establishing a stable and representative government.
  I was privileged to represent our country as President Bush's 
personal representative for the November 21, 2004, presidential runoff 
election in Ukraine. I was not an advocate of either candidate in the 
election. My focus was to stress free and fair election procedures that 
would strengthen worldwide respect for the legitimacy of the winning 
candidate.
  The 2004 campaign for president in Ukraine had been marked by 
widespread political intimidation and failure to give equal coverage to 
candidates in the media. Physical intimidation of voters and illegal 
use of governmental administrative and legal authorities had been 
evident and persistent.
  Unfortunately the situation worsened on the day of the runoff 
election. The government of then-President Kuchma allowed, or aided and 
abetted, wholesale fraud and abuse that changed the results of the 
election. It was clear that Prime Minister Yanukovich, a position that 
he again holds today, did not win the 2004 election despite erroneous 
election announcements and calls of congratulations from Moscow.

[[Page 25975]]

  I joined thousands of election observers who were sent by the United 
States and European states through organizations such as the National 
Endowment for Democracy, the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe, and the European Network of Election Monitoring 
Organizations. Most importantly, more than 10,000 Ukrainian citizens 
were organized by the Committee of Voters of Ukraine to carefully 
observe individual polling stations. These observers outlined an 
extensive list of serious procedural violations.
  Even in the face of these attempts to end any hope of a free and fair 
election, I was inspired by the courage of so many citizens of Ukraine 
demonstrating their passion for free expression and for a truly 
democratic Ukraine. As corrupt authorities tried to disrupt, frighten, 
and intimidate citizens, brave Ukrainians pushed back by continuing to 
do their best to keep the election on track and to prevent chaos.
  The day after the runoff election, I told the international and local 
press and the people of Ukraine through a live television broadcast in 
Kyiv that President Kuchma had the responsibility and the opportunity 
to produce an outcome that was fair and responsible. I pointed out that 
he would enhance his legacy by prompt and decisive action that 
maximized worldwide confidence in the presidency of Ukraine and the 
extraordinary potential of that country.
  That day, the people of Ukraine demanded change and the Orange 
Revolution was born. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians rallied and 
marched in Kyiv and other cities around the country. There commitment 
to democracy was heard loud and clear. The Central Election Commission 
that oversaw the flawed runoff election was fired. A new commission was 
appointed and a new election law was agreed to by all parties in an 
effort to eliminate fraud.
  While the Orange Revolution had a few more twists and turns to 
navigate, on December 26, 2004, Ukraine's maturing democracy held free 
and fair elections. For the first time, Ukraine enjoyed the fruits of a 
true democratic process and elected a representative government. The 
people of Ukraine built upon their 2004 achievement by holding free and 
fair parliamentary elections in 2006. What made this accomplishment 
even more notable was that the 2006 results favored the party that had 
been voted out of office in 2004, a testament to the fairness of the 
process. Now it is time for the Government of Ukraine to preserve and 
extend the impressive gains and to provide a stable and representative 
government by holding another free and fair parliamentary election.
  The people of Ukraine deserve a representative government that will 
work together to improve the quality of life in that country. In the 
years since the Orange Revolution, Ukraine has enjoyed a strong 
commitment to human rights and the rule of law, a growing free press, 
and a rapidly improving independent judiciary. Free and fair elections 
on September 30 will mark another important step in the right 
direction.
  I encourage the Ukrainian people to continue their march to true 
freedom and democracy. A democratic Ukraine is in the national security 
interests of all parties.
  The candidates and leaders of Ukraine must replicate their efforts of 
2004 and 2006 and conduct these elections consistent with the standards 
established by the OSCE. A fraudulent and illegal election would be a 
major defeat for democracy and leave Ukraine crippled. The new 
parliament would lack legitimacy with the Ukrainian people and the 
international community.
  Free and fair elections are the first step, but they are not the 
last. The elected leaders of Ukraine must overcome their past 
differences and govern together. In recent years, opportunities have 
been lost because of the failure of governmental leaders to unite and 
constructively work across party and ideological lines. A government 
that is committed to working together to improve the lives of the 
people, despite ideological differences will assist the people of 
Ukraine in reaching their full potential.

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