"Orange Revolution" leader voted out

[Vympel]

But I was poisoned in the face!

Ukraine's Orange leader voted out

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko, the one-time hero of the Orange Revolution, has been eliminated from the country's presidential election.

A run-off will be held on 7 February after no candidate won 50% of the vote.

With three quarters of votes counted, the president had won only about 5%. Former PM Viktor Yanukovych led current PM Yulia Tymoshenko by some 36% to 25%.

On opposing sides of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and 2005, both now favour closer ties with Russia.

It was Mr Yanukovych's victory in the 2004 election that was annulled by the Orange Revolution and brought Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko to power.
ANALYSIS
Gabriel Gatehouse BBC News, Kiev

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was instrumental in bringing the current President, Viktor Yushchenko, to power during the Orange Revolution five years ago. But the pair soon fell out, and she is now portraying herself as the heir of the Orange mantle.

Five years ago, Viktor Yanukovych was the villain, tainted by open support from Moscow and allegations of vote-rigging.

Now, both candidates say they favour closer ties with Russia - after five years of increasingly tense relations under President Yushchenko - and the Kremlin seems happy with either.

The poll highlighted Mr Yushchenko's recent power struggle with Mrs Tymoshenko - his former ally during the mass street protests in 2004 that swept his pro-Western coalition to power.

A total of 18 candidates took part in the election.

There was much disillusionment among voters over the failure to tackle corruption and links with the EU, says the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Kiev.

Turnout was reported to be as low as 50%. In the eastern city of Donetsk, one polling station encouraged voters with vodka and sausage.

Mr Yushchenko cast his ballot at a polling station in central Kiev with his wife, Kateryna, and their five children.

"Ukraine once again will demonstrate that it is a European democratic country, that it is a free nation, free people and free election," he said.

The leading candidates have accused each other of trying to rig the election, and there have been warnings of unrest after the vote.

In an effort to boost confidence in the election, foreign observers spread out across Ukraine to monitor voting.

Jens-Hagen Eschenbacher, of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said about 600 OSCE election monitors had been in place, as well as thousands of other foreign observers.

The Orange Revolution led Ukrainians to expect sweeping changes - integration with Europe and an end to corruption, our correspondent says.

But the reality has not lived up to expectations and there is widespread disillusionment with politicians across the spectrum, he adds.

Funny how things can change in 5 years - now both of the real contenders favor ties with Russia.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

At least the fascist scum bag is gone. Good riddance. Though what comes next is a very interesting question.

[mr friendly guy]

At least the fascist scum bag is gone. Good riddance. Though what comes next is a very interesting question.

As someone ignorant on this matter, whose only knowledge is that this guy is pro western, anti Russian and alleged to have been poisoned with dioxin based a blood test which doubts have been raised that the result was faked, why do you think he is a fascist?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

At least the fascist scum bag is gone. Good riddance. Though what comes next is a very interesting question.

As someone ignorant on this matter, whose only knowledge is that this guy is pro western, anti Russian and alleged to have been poisoned with dioxin based a blood test which doubts have been raised that the result was faked, why do you think he is a fascist?

Because among his Orange Revolutionist supporters were thousands of Ukrainian Neo-Nazi/Skinheads who distributed literature claiming among other things that 70,000 Jews entered the Ukraine with the Nazi Army in WW2 (since the Jews and Hitler were in collusion to kill the Slavs) to grind up Ukrainian babies for matzah balls.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Because among his Orange Revolutionist supporters were thousands of Ukrainian Neo-Nazi/Skinheads who distributed literature claiming among other things that 70,000 Jews entered the Ukraine with the Nazi Army in WW2 (since the Jews and Hitler were in collusion to kill the Slavs) to grind up Ukrainian babies for matzah balls.

That and his son was found in a school that espoused fascist tendencies, and there was also a controversy involving a memorial of a Ukrainian separatist who was actively involved in killing his countrymen in WWII. The scumbag decided to take his Russian hatred to the point of even exhorting the Nazis.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Took me a while, but I found the thread in question: Nazi School In Ukraine.

Have fun reading through the thread! *sarcasm*

[Shroom Man 777]

Good. It is nice to see the Ukranians turn to the way of freedom and stability, serving both Russian foreign interest and democracy as well. Hopefully this will mean the end of those nasty Russian-Ukranian oil fights, and may Ukraine become a leading example that the rest of Europe and even the world may follow. God bless Ukraine.

[K. A. Pital]

Oh yeah, Yuschenko is a political dead body. He can't be re-animated even if he rallies every single Neo-Nazi in Ukraine to his cause.

However, both Timoshenko and Yanukovich are thugs and bandits and thieves. Oh well. Still better than a supporter of Nazi collaborators, I guess.

[Pelranius]

At least Timoshenko and Yanukovich (the former isn't too bad looking) and they could always be bought off to do the right thing if worst comes to worst.

I hope the door hits Mr. Dioxin on the way out.

[Slacker]

My wife, as an expat Ukrainian with not much more than concern for relatives still there, can't understand why both want to kiss up to Russia. Not in the strict geopolitical realities sense so much as a 'You're Ukrainian, Russia's fucked you for three hundred years, why in god's name do you keep coming back for more?'

She does agree with the general consensus that Timoshenko's hot.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

My wife, as an expat Ukrainian with not much more than concern for relatives still there, can't understand why both want to kiss up to Russia. Not in the strict geopolitical realities sense so much as a 'You're Ukrainian, Russia's fucked you for three hundred years, why in god's name do you keep coming back for more?'

She does agree with the general consensus that Timoshenko's hot.

YOu can't exactly ignore the big export market next door, much less the fact that the W. Europeans are getting rather allergic to cheap goods.

[Chris OFarrell]

Or the fact that half the population of the country apparently consider themselves to be more Russian then Ukrainian.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Oh yeah, Yuschenko is a political dead body. He can't be re-animated even if he rallies every single Neo-Nazi in Ukraine to his cause.

However, both Timoshenko and Yanukovich are thugs and bandits and thieves. Oh well. Still better than a supporter of Nazi collaborators, I guess.

Hey, dont knock the Nazi's too hard. They got shit done. Kickstarting the german industrial economy and got the trains to death camps running on time.

Yeah... get that nazi SOB out...

[K. A. Pital]

You're Ukrainian, Russia's fucked you for three hundred years, why in god's name do you keep coming back for more?

Bogdan Hmelnitski answered that sufficiently well "The Orthodox tsar should rule". Of course, now it's just "we feel more Russian than Ukrainian".

To be fair, Yekaterina the Second (the Great) was the first Russian monarch that "fucked the Ukrainians over" in a sense, by abolishing the autonomy of the Viysko Zaporozke (the Sich), with the Ultimatum of 1775. That's 235 years, not 300.

[Netko]

My wife, as an expat Ukrainian with not much more than concern for relatives still there, can't understand why both want to kiss up to Russia. Not in the strict geopolitical realities sense so much as a 'You're Ukrainian, Russia's fucked you for three hundred years, why in god's name do you keep coming back for more?'

She does agree with the general consensus that Timoshenko's hot.

Its always easier to be ideologically pure when you don't have to suffer the practical consequences of that ideological purity. Its an issue with diaspora populations worldwide.

[Slacker]

To be fair, Yekaterina the Second (the Great) was the first Russian monarch that "fucked the Ukrainians over" in a sense, by abolishing the autonomy of the Viysko Zaporozke (the Sich), with the Ultimatum of 1775. That's 235 years, not 300.

Well, *that* makes it so much better.

Like I said, she doesn't care *that* much. She has the same vague sort of concern for Israel, as the family's Jewish. She'll be the first to admit Israel fucks up all the damn time, which is apparently vaguely scandalous for her family to deal with. She's culturally New Yorker, really, in the end.

Again, in a vague, non-geopolitical realities sense, she's bothered. She's also smart enough to know practical reality.