“It doesn’t matter how the votes are cast, but how they’re counted.”

Joseph Stalin’s famous statement is as valid now as it was in 1923, as Ukraine’s obedient election commissions help to secure a victory for the ruling party.

Separating Ukraine from Yanukovych

The majority of Ukrainians remain part of European civilization. The West should support their resistance to the Russian model of development imposed on the nation by the current government

Andriy Mahera: “This election is reminiscent of 2004, because that was probably the only time when so much dirt was dished up”

The Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission speaks about “trading” with election commission members, counteracting the bribing of voters, the inefficiency of the cameras installed at polling stations, the prospects of international recognition of election results and attempts to besmirch his reputation

Is The First Test a Flop?

The fact that the two major opposition forces UDAR and the United Opposition have failed their first capacity test is now clear

Elections Luhansk-Style

Similar to the rest of Eastern and Southern Ukraine, the election campaign in Luhansk Oblast seems to offer the voters nothing more than a handful of pro-government parties

Pollsters Project Victory for the Opposition. What Will the Central Election Commission Say?

Low interest in politics and poor political awareness of many Ukrainians, multiplied by the opposition’s reluctance to overcome this problem in the last weeks before the election, is accompanied by the government’s consistent efforts to gain total freedom in the vote counting by election commissions under its control.

“I serve the Soviet Union”

The scale of the communists’ election campaign suggests the source of its financing could be the Kremlin, rather than dues paid by retired party members.

To Be or Not to Be

The prospects of the opposition in the forthcoming elections will hinge on its ability to coordinate its actions in the interests of society and overcome government provocations

The Kingdom of Administrative Resources

The absence of candidates agreed upon by the opposition greatly reduces its ability to counteract administrative pressure and large-scale bribing of voters and increases the risk of failure in first-past-the-post districts even in regions where the ruling party is utterly unpopular

Minority Rule

With the support of no more than a third of Ukrainians, Viktor Yanukovych is preparing for a constitutional majority in the new parliament

From Isolation to Sanctions?

The events of the last week are evidence of the increasing likelihood of personal sanctions being imposed against a closer or wider circle of the representatives of the current government to the existing isolation

Ukraine’s Last Independent Magazines Threatened

The World Newspaper Congress in Kyiv was supposed to give the impression that there is freedom of speech in Ukraine. Shortly after, a blitzkrieg was unleashed against the last free Ukrainian media

Resolution Calling for the Release from Prison of Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko

On September 19, 2012 US Senate adopted the resolution on Ukraine.

Powers of Persuasion

The Party of Regions is exploiting every possible financial and administrative resource of the government for its election campaign

Open Letter on Pressure after the World Newspaper Congress

The Ukrainian Week would like to inform the Ukrainian and international community of the harassment of the publication after the World Newspaper Congress in Kyiv

ENEMO Observation Mission

ENEMO welcomes the Central Election Commission`s decision to allow voters to change voting place only within DECs

You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours

The last session of the present parliament could prove most unpredictable

Kuzmin: a No-Nonsense Prosecutor

A slew of Ukrainian journalists, spin doctors and simply experts-turned-propagandists are working to clean up the international image of the Ukrainian government. But as life would have it, there is always somebody willing to spoil it all. First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin recently did precisely that at the annual YES (Yalta European Strategy) conference.

Dismantling the Oligarchs' Foundation

In order to achieve its potential, Ukraine must put an end to the monopolies which are the current social and economic foundation of the oligarch-and-lumpen society model.

Secretary-General of the Council of Europe: “Trial against Tymoshenko should not have been launched at all”

Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, spoke with The Ukrainian Week about his attitudes toward Ukraine’s new language law, the work of the Ukrainian judiciary and parliament, and the prospect of Strasbourg imposing sanctions against Ukraine.

Rigging the Election

The party in power has unprecedented opportunities to win the election before it even begins

ENEMO Observation Mission in Ukraine

ENEMO expresses concerns regarding sudden change of rules for establishing precinct election commissions by a single draw of lots

Strange Familiar Faces

The Party of the Regions' election list proves Donetsk still has considerable influence. The party is transforming into a pro-presidential quasi-bloc like For a United Ukraine circa 2000.

Wag the Dog

The party in power is afraid of losing control of parliament when most MPs are focusing their efforts on conducting pre-election campaigns.

Oleksandr Tymoshenko: “There is no legitimate government in Ukraine. The only recourse – is replacement”

Yulia Tymoshenko’s husband Oleksandr Tymoshenko shared with The Ukrainian Week his thoughts about the party list of the united opposition, told about his life in Czech Republic and comminication with his wife

Disgracing a Country

The Ukrainian government has tried, and failed miserably, to improve its image in the world through the foreign media