First Round

This past week I volunteered as an election observer in the first round of this year's presidential elections with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. It was quite an experience, and I certainly don't regret it. I was told that I was free to post pictures and experiences in my personal blog, but will keep my comments limited here because somehow it seems wrong that an independent observer could publish their personal opinions about the election. Feel free to email me if you are curious about my experience and I'll send notes I kept that day, and also some more pictures.

Of course most importantly -observer missions in the country commented that the election was held in accordance to international standards. As expected, neither candidate received a majority of the vote, necessitating a runoff between Yanukovych and Tymoshenko on February 7th.

Some articles about the first round for those interested:

Elections in Ukraine signal important turn on the road to democracy - Christian Science Monitor

Ukraine Elections Go to Russian-Flavoured Runoff – Fears Abound for Crimean Tatar Population - Underrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

Viktor Yushchenko's legacy for Ukraine? Smiling people - Times Online

Ukraine presidential vote headed to runoff - LA Times

Russia ends freeze in ties with Ukraine after election - AFP

Elections in Ukraine - Calm before Storm? - Ria Novosti