A mid the clamor and confusion of the U.S. elections, it is easy to forget that ballots are being held elsewhere in the world. This week Ukraine held a presidential election, and while the outcome will not shape international politics as much as the U.S. vote, it will be significant nevertheless. The two leading candidates have very different visions for their country. Squeezed between Europe and Russia, Ukraine's future course will profoundly influence both regions.
Twenty-four candidates contested Sunday's election, the fourth since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than a decade ago. The leading contenders to succeed President Leonid Kuchma were Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and Mr. Viktor Yushchenko, a former prime minister and central bank president who has become the leading critic of Mr. Kuchma and now heads the opposition. As anticipated, the results were close. With virtually all votes counted, neither man garnered the 50 percent needed to win outright. Instead, the two were in a virtual tie, forcing a runoff vote scheduled for Nov. 21.
While both men appear ready to accept the results, there have been complaints about the election process from both sides. International observers concurred. The head of the observer mission from the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe called the vote "a step backward" from parliamentary elections held in 2002, and even those were faulted for falling short of European standards.