| Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko held their last debate Yesterday's election debates in Ukraine became a real political show. The rivals conducted a lively dialogue, and did not exchange prepared speeches, as was the case before the previous round. The candidates dressed in dark suits with light party colors. Yushchenko was wearing an orange tie and a handkerchief of the same color in his jacket pocket, Yanukovych was wearing a blue tie and a white shirt.
To begin with, Viktor Yushchenko congratulated his compatriots on St. Nicholas Day, which put “the right to be free” under their pillows, and reminded them that “the election results were stolen.” Yushchenko considers the “Orange” revolution to be a consequence of the fact that Ukrainians did not want to live in the “Kuchma-Medvedchuk (head of the presidential administration - Ed.)-Yanukovych" joint-stock company. “I love both orange and blue,” Yushchenko concluded, “but orange is the color of winners.”
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych responded that he represents the interests of half of the country's voters. “After the destruction of the USSR, people experienced a lot of grief,” but they survived “not thanks to, but in spite of the authorities,” he recalled. People “didn’t always understand” the struggle among the top, but now everything was completely mixed up - the government united with the “orange putsch.” Yanukovych said that the government had made illegal decisions “against the Ukrainian people” - referring to the Supreme Court's cancellation of the voting results in the second round on November 21, when the Central Election Commission initially declared Yanukovych the winner. “Those who came to Maidan lived with revolution in their souls” and “considered it necessary to change the government,” Yanukovych said. He called on Yushchenko to sit down at the negotiating table and “join forces” so that the December 26 vote would not be disrupted, and “the old government would not teach us how to live.” “You and I must dismiss the old regime and congratulate the people on the New Year,” Yanukovych called on his opponent.
Yanukovych's new-found opposition struck a nerve with Yushchenko - the leader of the "Orange" indignantly called his opponent "the only candidate from the government", "its best child" and even "Kuchma-3", demanding that he play on the other side of the field. However, it would be more correct to call Mr. Yanukovych, abandoned by his recent friends, “an orphan of power.” To remind of his rival's power status, Yushchenko demanded an explanation of how exactly the government was going to pay increased pensions if funds for this were not included in the 2005 budget.
The comparison with Kuchma did not make Yanukovych happy. “The best son is about you,” he answered his opponent. Note that Yushchenko, during his premiership in 2000, actually called Kuchma “father.” Yanukovych rejected accusations of economic miscalculations. The prime minister turned the topic of money into clarifying the sources of financing the activities of the “orange”, clearly nodding towards the United States. “These hands have never stolen anything in their lives. Moreover, I have no criminal record,” Yushchenko fired up in response. “The Ukrainian people deserve to have their president elected not in Moscow.” “The “blue” candidate countered the orange jab about the growing budget deficit with a reference to the real economy, which is “done in the village and the production workshop.”
At the end of the debate, Yanukovych returned to the topic of negotiations and reconciliation after the elections: “People are worried, they want to know how to live further. We must look for compromises and find them.” He called for a national consensus forum because the Orange Putsch had scared people. “I propose not to bring people into the streets on both sides,” said Yanukovych, and even posed a point-blank question to Yushchenko: “Are you ready to form a government of national accord with me?”
The head of the Institute of Global Strategies, Vadim Karasev, told Vremya Novostey: “The debate left an ambivalent impression. In the beginning, Yushchenko was worse than expected, and Yanukovych was simply worse. By the end of the debate, Yushchenko showed more conviction and sincerity than his opponent. Because of this factor, I would award the win to him. By winning this debate, the leader of the opposition effectively secured victory on December 26th. As for Yanukovych’s constant questions regarding negotiations after the elections, this is an initially losing position. It was obvious that Yanukovych, unlike the first debate, did not have much to talk about. The staff shortage in the prime minister’s headquarters and the crisis of ideas were striking.” “By the middle of the debate, it became obvious that Yanukovych used all his “homemade” preparations,” adds political scientist Viktor Nebozhenko. “And when they were exhausted, he not only avoided Yushchenko’s questions, but asked his own. This was an unsuccessful tactic. So Yushchenko, of course, left the best impression.” Svetlana STEPANENKO, Kyiv |
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