Since achieving independence in August 1991, Ukraine's leaders have advocated building a democratic, free-market society with strong relations with its Russian neighbor and deeper relations with Europe. The first two post-independence presidents, Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma, each campaigned as reform candidates but ultimately Kuchma became more associated with corruption. Determined to hold onto power, he grew more conservative and backpedaled on reform, responding to dissension by cracking down on media freedom. In November 2001, Kuchma dismissed reform-minded Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko and replaced him with Viktor Yanukovich. Ultimately, these two men would battle it out for president in November 2004. The story that unfolded is nothing short of remarkable.
Elections and Runoffs
The first round of Ukraine's presidential election was held on October 31, 2004 with more than 25 candidates on the ballot. Yanukovich and Yushchenko each received about 39 percent of the vote, much more than any other candidates but short of the 50 percent needed for victory, which necessitated a runoff election. That election, held on November 21, declared Yanukovich the victor. But thousands of accusations of fraud immediately poured in from independent election observers.
Yushchenko's troubles began long before the election. During two years of campaigning, the ruling party harassed his supporters, used state-sponsored media to portray Yushchenko as weak, and disrupted his funding. Yushchenko also survived several assassination attempts, including a near-fatal dioxin poisoning last year. Yet efforts to quash Yushchenko only increased his popularity, forcing the government to resort to electoral fraud to insure its desired outcome.
Meanwhile, a growing yet peaceful civil protest was taking shape in Kyiv's Nezhdelezhny Square, also known as the Maydan. As word spread of extensive election fraud, thousands of Yushchenko supporters gathered on the Maydan in peaceful protest. Within a few days, that number burgeoned to more than a million people.
Bolstered by the unyielding allegiance of the Maydan protesters and armed with hundreds of documented allegations of election fraud, Yushchenko appealed to Ukraine's Supreme Court, which subsequently nullified the election and ordered a new one. In that December 26 runoff, Yushchenko triumphed. He was inaugurated in January.
The People's Choice
Article 5 of Ukraine's Constitution states: "The people are the bearers of the sovereignty and the only source of power in Ukraine." This tenet proved true on the Maydan as thousands rallied against corruption and in support of democracy and rule of law.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and Wilson Center Senior Policy Scholar William Green Miller spent six weeks in Ukraine during the crisis and witnessed the spectacle firsthand. "The Orange Revolution was a brilliant, largely spontaneous, and certainly colorful expression of popular will," he said.
Orange, never before used as a color in Ukrainian politics, suddenly appeared everywhere, Miller recounted. There were orange banners, ribbons, scarves, ties, hats, coats, dresses, and even orange kazoos that the protestors sounded in three-part toots to accompany cries of "Yu-shchen-ko!" Miller observed, "It was urban, mass political action of a peaceful, effective kind never seen before in Ukraine or anywhere else. It was democracy in the most direct form."
