EU Steps Up Ukraine Election Criticism

[Moloch]

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union (news - web sites) stepped up pressure Tuesday on Ukraine to review the outcome of its disputed presidential election, which has triggered widespread criticism from across the continent.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, speaking on behalf of the 25-nation body, called Ukraine's outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, to say he doubted the outcome "reflected the will of the Ukrainian electorate."

Senior officials across Europe voiced further criticism, and Ukrainian ambassadors were being summoned for talks in several capitals.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=721&e=6&u=/ap/20041123/ap_on_re_eu/eu_ukraine

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Why doesn't the EU say anything about our election? Are they afraid of
Bunnypants?

[Benhurst]

1. I think you answered your own question. Yes, they are afraid --

very afraid -- of the Bush Crime Family and the corrupt nation over which they hold sway.

[makhno]

2. I get the feeling...

...that if Yushchenko had won surrounded by similar controversy, the EU would think all's hunky dory. Fucking scumbags.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. Which is the better candidate? Yushchenko? or someone else?

[makhno]

4. Both of them sound like trouble

Yanukovich is an old-time regional boss and judging by the past ten years of Ukrainian politics, isn't going to do much for the country. Yushchenko, however, represents to me the worst kind of pro-Western, pro-privatization scumbag that'll sell his country and its citizens out under the pretense of market reform. We saw it happen in Russia in the '90s, and it was a disaster.

The problem with the Ukraine is that it doesn't have much in the way of valuable natural resources, and so can't cover up a complete failure of the economy with oil exports, as Russia is doing. Not sure how they can get out of the predicament, but selling whatever little the country has left to the lowest Western bidder isn't the solution.

[Kellanved]

5. As if a contender could win "surrounded by similar controversy"

...

[makhno]

6. Who knows

All I'm saying is that I don't remember the EU or the OECD complaining about their boy Yeltsin's win in Russia's rigged '96 elections. Neither do I hear much noise from them regarding Saakashvili's authoritarianism, now that he's been crowned as the West's great demoratic hope.

It's clear that selective European complaints about elections in the FSU states are driven merely by realpolitik concerns.

[aneerkoinos]

7. EuroBorg wants to assimilate Ukraine

and if the majority of Ukrainians want to be assimilated, let them raise hell about stolen elections, we'll give moral support but thats it! :)

We don't want to assimilate Russia or US into Borg, they are too big and too wierd. But we wouldn't mind taking New England states and Canada!