 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 74.54% (first round) 81.12% (second round) 77.28% (second round re-run) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
.jpeg)
.jpg)
 |
|---|
 Ukraine portal |
Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November and 26 December 2004. This was the fourth presidential election in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The last stages of the election were contested between the opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych from the Party of Regions. It was later determined by the Ukrainian Supreme Court that the election was plagued by widespread falsification of the results in favour of Yanukovych.[1][2]
According to Ukraine's electoral law, a two-round system is used to elect the president in which a candidate must win a majority (50% or more) of all ballots cast. The first round of voting was held on 31 October. As no candidate received over 50% of all votes cast, a run-off between the two highest-polling candidates, Yushchenko and Yanukovych, was held on 21 November. According to official Central Election Commission results announced on 23 November, the run-off election was won by Yanukovych. However, the results were challenged by Yushchenko and his supporters, with many western observers claiming that the election was rigged.[1][2]
The subsequent events led to a political crisis in Ukraine, with widespread peaceful protesters, dubbed the "Orange Revolution", calling for a re-run of the second-round election. On 3 December the Supreme Court of Ukraine declared the results of the 21 November 2004 run-off ballot invalid and ordered a repeat of the second-round ballot.[1][2]
The re-run ballot was held on 26 December. Viktor Yushchenko was declared the winner with 53% of the vote to Yanukovych's 44%. Western observers reported that the re-run ballot was considered overall fairer than the previous ballots.[1][2]
- ^ a b c d Anders Åslund and Michael McFaul (January 2006). Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine's Democratic Breakthrough, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, ISBN 0-87003-221-6
- ^ a b c d Virtual Politics - Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World, Andrew Wilson, Yale University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-300-09545-7