Viktor Yushchenko Biography Political Portrait And 2004

In 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic., he started working in the newly-formed National Bank of Ukraine and became its Head in 19971997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef''. Events January January 3 NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 Mister Rogers receives a star on t. As such, he played an important part in the creation of Ukraine's national currencyFor exchange rates, see here. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of goods and services. It is a form of money, where money is defined as a medium of exchange rather than e. a store of value. A currency zone is a country or region, the hryvniaThe hryvnia or hryvnya ( Ukrainian ; Russian ; Russian transliteration grivna has been the national currency of Ukraine since 1996 when it replaced the "coupon" (or karbovanets , the temporary currency used after Ukraine left the Soviet Union and the rubl, and the establishment of a modern regulating system for commercial banking.

In December 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep, Yushchenko was appointed Prime Minister by President Leonid Kuchma. Significant economic progress was made during Yuschenko's cabinet service, though critics argue that this was made possible by the general situation of the economy, and was not the result of his actions. Soon, his government (particularly, deputy prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko ) became embroiled in a confrontation with influential coal- mining and natural gas industry leaders. The conflict resulted in a 2001 no-confidence vote by the parliament, which was mainly the work of pro-presidential groups. The vote resulted in Yushchenko's removal from office.

In 2002, Yushchenko became the leader of the Our Ukraine (Nasha Ukrayina) political coalition, which received a plurality of seats in the parliamentary election that year. However, the number of seats won wasn't enough for a majority, and the efforts to form it together with other opposition parties failed. Since then, Yushchenko has remained the leader and public face of the Our Ukraine group ( Ukrainian: fraktsiya "Nasha Ukrayina", фракція "Наша Україна"). He is widely regarded as the leader of anti-president opposition in the government, since other opposition parties are less influential and have fewer seats in the parliament.

Yushchenko is married to Kateryna Yushchenko-Chumachenko (his second wife). She is a Ukrainian-American born in Chicago and a former official with the U.S. State Department. Opponents of Yushchenko have criticized her for remaining a U.S. citizen. During the recent election campaign, Kateryna was accused of exerting the influence of the U.S. government on her husband's decisions, as a an employee of the U.S. government or even a CIA agent. Yushchenko has five children: three daughters and two sons.

2 Political portrait and 2004 Presidential Election

Since the end of his term as prime minister, Yushchenko has become a charismatic political figure and he is popular among Ukrainians in the western region of the country. As of 2001– 2004, his rankings in popularity polls were higher than those of the current president, Leonid Kuchma.

As a politician, Viktor Yushchenko is widely perceived as a mixture of West-oriented and moderate Ukrainian nationalist. He is also an advocate of massive privatization of the economy. His opponents (and allies) sometimes criticize him for indecision and failure to reveal his position, while advocates argue that these are the signs of Yushchenko's commitment to collective-work, consensus, and negotiation. He is also often accused of being unable to form a united and strong team that is free of inner quarrels.

In 2004, as President Kuchma's term came to an end, Yushchenko announced that he was an independent candidate for president. His major rival was Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Since his term as prime minister, Yushchenko has slightly modernized his political platform, adding social partnership and other liberal slogans to older ideas of European integration, including Ukraine joining NATO, and fighting corruption. Supporters of Yushchenko are organized in the "Syla Narodu" ("Power of the People") electoral coalition, which is led by himself and his new political ally Yuliya Tymoshenko , with the Our Ukraine coalition being the main constituent force.

Yushchenko's campaign was built on face-to-face communication with the voters, since the government prevented most major TV channels from providing equal coverage to the candidates. Meanwhile, his rival, Yanukovych, frequently appeared in the news.

The campaign was often bitter, controversial, and violent, with accusations of "dirty tricks" from both sides. Yushchenko became seriously ill in early September 2004 and was flown abroad for treatment. He was diagnosed with " acute pancreatitis, accompanied by interstitial edematous changes," said to be due to "a serious viral infection and chemical substances which are not normally found in food products." In other words, poisoning, which Yushchenko has claimed was the work of agents of the government. However, this accusation has yet to be proven. After the illness, his face became heavily disfigured, bloated, and pockmarked, a distinct problem for a politician forced to rely on one-on-one meetings with voters while campaigning. According to British toxicologist John Henry, of St. Mary's Hospital in London, the marks on Yuschenko's face are chloracne, a charateristic symptom of dioxin poisoning. This claim is disputed by other scientists, who have suggested that it might be the result of rosacea, an inflammatory skin condition brought on by stress which can leave the face swollen and lumpy. The Yanukovych campaign have claimed that the "poisoning" was caused by eating bad sushi.

The initial vote, held on October 31 2004, saw Yushchenko obtaining 39.87% in front of Yanukovich with 39.32%. As no candidate reached the 50% margin required for outright victory, a second round of run-off voting was held on 21 November, 2004. Although a 75% voter turnout was recorded, observers reported many irregularities and abuses across the country. Judging by the exit poll results, he won voting in western and central provinces of the country.

The alleged electoral fraud, combined with the fact that the exit polls recorded a result (an 11% margin of victory for Yushchenko) so radically different from the final vote tally (a 6% margin of victory for Yanukovych), has caused Yushchenko and his supporters to refuse to recognize the results. Thus far, they have organized rallies across the nation, including a large, continuous demonstration in Kiev's Independence Square, and have implemented a large-scale general strike amongst their supporters. Several municipal governments, including those of Kiev and Lviv, Yushchenko's stronghold, have announced that they will not recognize the authority of a Yanukovych presidency and a massive protest occurred on 23 November in front of the headquarters of the Verkhovna Rada.

During the rally, tens of thousands of Yushchenko's supporters filled the streets outside the building, holding orange flags, the color of Yushchenko's coalition, and chanting his name. Inside the Verkhovna Rada, the opposition leader took a symbolic oath of office in front of legislative supporters shouting, "Bravo, Yushchenko!"

Shortly thereafter, one of Yushchenko's deputies announced that half of the estimated 200,000 people protesting in Independence Square were asked to march on the building housing the president's administration, where they were to lay what he called a "peaceful siege." As thousands of his supporters filled the streets around the building, Yushchenko and a group of his closest aides left the Verkhovna Rada and marched there. Reports indicated that they had entered the building and had begun negotiations with President Kuchma, which were expected to last well into 24 November.

Instead, the talks were cancelled either late at night on 23 November or early in the morning on 24 November. While it is not clear who cancelled the negotiations, it is clear that Yushchenko has not conceded defeat. That morning, he made a speech in Independence Square in which he called for his supporters across the nation to engage in strikes and sit-ins with the intention of paralyzing the government and forcing Kuchma and Yanukovych to concede defeat. He labelled this move the " Orange Revolution" and announced that a detailed plan for these events would be released by his campaign on 25 November.

3 See also

4 References

4.1 Biography

Сandidate Viktor Yushchenko wins first round of Ukraine election (Nov. 10, 2004). Rule of Law Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.rol.org.ua/eng/newsitem.cfm?unid=20.

5 External links

Viktor Yushchenko Personal site My Ukraine - English version
TAK! (YES!) official presidential campaign website - English version

Yushchenko, Viktor

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1 Biography