Ukraine descended into political turmoil in November 2004 following a contested presidential runoff between pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and pro-Western challenger Viktor Yushchenko. International observers, including the OSCE, concluded that neither the first nor the second round of voting met democratic standards, and US envoy Senator Richard Lugar accused authorities of complicity in electoral fraud.
The first round on 31 October ended in a near-tie, with official tallies eventually showing Yushchenko at 39.87 percent against Yanukovich's 39.32 percent. Opposition supporters alleged that over a million voters had been improperly removed from or incorrectly listed on voter rolls.
After the 21 November runoff, the electoral commission reported Yanukovich leading by three percentage points with nearly all votes counted. Several Ukrainian cities, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, unilaterally declared Yushchenko the winner, while European foreign ministers cautioned Kyiv about diplomatic consequences. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Yanukovich congratulations on his victory.
By 23 November, an estimated 100,000 demonstrators filled Kyiv's Independence Square, with comparable crowds reported in Lviv. Yushchenko called on parliament to resolve the standoff and appealed internationally for recognition of his candidacy. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who had led his own peaceful uprising the previous year, urged all sides to exercise restraint.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.