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PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION IN UKRAINE -- (Senate - December 08, 2004) GPO's PDF
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Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 487 which was submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. WARNER). The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 487) expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the November 21, 2004, Presidential runoff election in Ukraine.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, over the last 17 days we have all watched with interest as the human yearning for freedom surged through the streets of Ukraine.
After an election marred by vast fraud and corruption, hundreds of thousands of supporters of the opposition candidate, Mr. Yushchenko, have raised their voices for democracy, legitimacy and fairness.
The Senate has condemned the widespread fraud in the November 21 runoff between Mr. Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yanukovych, and called for a peaceful resolution to the political situation in Ukraine.
The rule of law must prevail. Fair and free elections are what the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian demonstrators have been demanding. I am pleased that the Senate is going to pass this resolution expressing support for a peaceful and legal outcome that represents the will of the Ukrainian people.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the RECORD.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 487) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 487
Whereas on November 21, 2004, Ukraine held a presidential runoff election between former Prime Minister and opposition candidate Victor Yushchenko and current Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych;
Whereas the Ukrainian Central Election Commission reported that Mr. Yanukovych won 49.42 percent of the vote and Mr. Yushchenko won 46.7 percent of the vote in the runoff election, despite the fact that several exit polls indicated that Mr. Yushchenko secured significantly more votes than Mr. Yanukovych;
Whereas the International Election Observation Mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) determined that the runoff election did not meet international standards for democratic elections, and specifically declared that state resources were abused to support the candidacy of Prime Minister Yanukovych;
Whereas the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, a nongovernmental electoral organization in Ukraine, reported on illegal voting by absentee ballot, multiple voting, assaults on electoral observers, journalists and the use of counterfeit ballots;
Whereas such reports of fraud were also echoed by Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, an observer to the runoff election designated by President George W. Bush;
Whereas since November 22, 2004, tens of thousands of people have engaged in peaceful demonstrations in Kiev, Ukraine, to protest the declaration by the Central Election Commission of Mr. Yanukovych as the winner of the runoff election;
Whereas antigovernment protests in support of opposition candidate Mr. Yushchenko took place in cities throughout Ukraine, and several city councils adopted resolutions that declared Mr. Yushchenko as the legally elected president;
Whereas on November 23, 2004, opposition candidate Mr. Yushchenko declared victory in the runoff election;
Whereas the United States has called for a complete and immediate investigation into the conduct of the runoff election to examine fully the reports of fraud and corruption;
Whereas the European Union has also stated that authorities in Ukraine must redress election irregularities and that the reported results do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine;
Whereas the Ukrainian Supreme Court blocked the publication of the official runoff election results stating that Mr. Yanukovych was the winner, thus preventing his inauguration as President of Ukraine until the court examined the reports of voter fraud;
Whereas on November 27, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine passed a resolution declaring that there were violations of law during the runoff election but on November 30, 2004, with support from progovernment and communist parties, canceled the resolution;
Whereas 15 eastern and southern regions in Ukraine that supported the candidacy of Mr. Yanukovych threatened to split off from the country if an illegitimate president were to come to power;
Whereas on December 1, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine passed a no confidence motion in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yanukovych as approximately 100,000 supporters of Mr. Yushchenko demonstrated in front of the parliament building;
Whereas Mr. Yanukovych and Mr. Yushchenko, along with European mediators and current Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma, began discussions on December 1, 2004, to attempt to work out a resolution to the standoff;
Whereas on December 3, 2004, the Ukrainian Supreme Court ruled that the November 21, 2004, runoff election was invalid and ordered a new vote on December 26, 2004;
Whereas on December 8, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine passed electoral changes to reform the Central Election Commission and close loopholes for fraud, as well as constitutional changes to reduce the power of the President of Ukraine; and
Whereas the manner in which this crisis is resolved will have significant implications for the perceptions of the democratic institutions of Ukraine by the international community: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns the widespread fraud in the November 21, 2004, runoff presidential election in Ukraine; and
(2) supports a peaceful political and legal settlement in Ukraine that is based on the principles of democracy and reflects the will of the people of Ukraine. |
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