The Ukrainian Weekly 2012, No.47

www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: l Corruption in Ukraine’s armed forces – page 4 l Pittsburgh society’s Ukrainian of the Year – page 11 l Wladimir Klitschko retains his boxing titles – page 17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXX No. 47 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012 $1/$2 in Ukraine Election results Evidence of fraud seen in parliamentary vote count now official Days after election Ukrinform marked by conflict KYIV – The results of the voting in by Zenon Zawada Ukraine’s parliamentary elections Special to The Ukrainian Weekly were published on November 13 in the KYIV – If the Ukrainian government Parliament’s Holos Ukrainy newspaper eked out a barely passing grade in the ini- and the government’s Uriadovyi Kurier tial Western evaluations of the October 28 newspaper. Thus, the lists of national vote, then the violence and ample evidence deputies elected to Parliament have of fraud that filled the following days and been officially published in accordance weeks of tabulations tipped the scales with the law. “The country obtained 445 parlia- towards a failing grade. mentarians, and it will obviously be The Canadian government became the necessary to hold repeat elections in first major Western institution to condemn five districts. And today (no later than the parliamentary election result when it on the fifth day after the announce- issued a statement on November 11 declar- ment of the election results) our news- ing that the vote didn’t meet international, paper, according to the abovemen- democratic standards. tioned plan, is already publishing the “Canada is distressed by the lack of Central Election Commission’s list of openness, transparency and timeliness that www.klichko.org national deputies of the Verkhovna has characterized vote tabulation,” said the The November 5 opposition demonstration at the Central Election Commission in Rada of the seventh convocation, who statement issued on behalf of Canadian Kyiv drew a few thousand at its peak. were elected in the October 28, 2012, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and election day, which was largely approved as battles ensued between police and politi- elections,” Uriadovyi Kurier wrote. International Cooperation Minister Julian cians over who would possess contested According to the two official newspa- Fantino. legitimate by international monitoring ballots. pers, 220 national deputies were elect- “Sadly, this is just the latest in the series organizations, who reserved their criticism Among the most vicious battles was one ed in single-seat constituencies, and the of irregularities that has characterized the for the pre-election campaign and vote tab- in the city of Pervomaisk in the Mykolayiv Central Election Commission declared campaign overall and confirms reports that ulation afterwards. Oblast, where Party of Regions candidate the impossibility of establishing the Ukraine’s parliamentary elections did not The problematic election commissions Vitalii Travianko was allegedly trying to steal election results in five constituencies meet the democratic standards that were wrought with conflicts, both verbal victory from opposition candidate Arkadii (Nos. 94, 132, 194, 197 and 225). Ukrainians have the right to expect.” and physical. During the conflicts, election Kornatskyi of the Batkivshchyna party. commissioners fainted, police used tear gas (Continued on page 11) Vote tallies dragged on for days, and for weeks in a handful of districts, following against supporters of the opposition and (Continued on page 14) Supporters of Ukrainian Museum and Library of Stamford celebrate its 75th anniversary by Anisa Handzia Sawyckyj secuted for more than four decades by Soviet authorities. In his banquet address, Bishop Gudziak discussed the STAMFORD, Conn. – Undaunted by the approach of significance of museums as repositories of culture and Hurricane Sandy due to arrive within 24 hours, on October guardians of national memory and traditions whose role in 28 close to 200 supporters of the Ukrainian Museum and society cannot be overestimated. Encouraging the audience Library of Stamford braved uncertain road conditions to to support the Stamford Ukrainian Museum and Library travel from around the N.Y.-metro area and from as far as morally and financially, he concluded his remarks by saying: Rhode Island and Washington, to celebrate the museum “The challenge is to look ahead to the 100th anniversary and library’s 75th anniversary. and to creatively develop the inheritance that has been The oldest cultural institution in the Ukrainian American passed down to this generation.” community, the Ukrainian Museum and Library of Stamford Honored for their many years of outstanding service at 161 Glenbrook Road in Stamford, Conn., was founded by were Lubow Wolynetz, curator of the museum for the past Metropolitan Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky, head of 30 years, and Msgr. John Terlecky, director of the library the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S., who opened its since 1997, when it was reorganized and renamed the doors to the public in 1937. Ukrainian Cultural Research Center. The 75th anniversary banquet at the Sheraton Stamford Bishop Paul Chomnycky, eparch of Stamford and presi- Hotel featured as its guest of honor and keynote speaker dent of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Museum and Bishop Borys Gudziak, the rector of the Ukrainian Catholic Library of Stamford, offered the tributes, presenting the University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine. He was recently consecrat- honorees with plaques and flowers. ed as bishop and appointed apostolic exarch for Ukrainian Both Mrs. Wolynetz and Msgr. Terlecky made brief Catholics in France, the Benelux countries and Switzerland. remarks, focusing on the highlights in the history of the A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Bishop Gudziak earned a Ph.D. museum and library, respectively. Sister Natalya Stoczanyn in history from Harvard University and subsequently went Prof. Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak, niece of On behalf of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Museum and Library of Stamford, of which he is presi- to Ukraine, where for two decades he worked to create UCU, Metropolitan Constantine Bohachevsky, delivered a special dent, Bishop Paul Chomnycky presents the museum’s a premier Catholic university in Lviv. Among his early greeting to the assembled guests. A historian, she is curator, Lubow Wolynetz, with a plaque and flowers in accomplishments at UCU was the creation of an oral history appreciation of her 30 years of outstanding service to archive of the underground Ukrainian Catholic Church, per- (Continued on page 10) the institution. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012 No. 47 ANALYSIS Violations, strong showing of radicals Opposition to appeal in European Court country. If 150 deputies do not enter the Parliament, it will not exist,” Mr. Grytsenko KYIV – The opposition will defend the said. He said it was allegedly proposed to spoil Ukraine’s parliamentary elections results of the parliamentary elections at the the opposition that it “surrender” its candi- Tymoshenko’s point of view. The European Court of Human Rights, Arseniy dates in some districts in exchange for rec- by Oleg Varfolomeyev Yatsenyuk of the united opposition said at Eurasia Daily Monitor Organization for Security and Cooperation ognition of the oppositionists’ victory in in Europe (OSCE), European Parliament an opposition rally in front of the Central other districts. He stressed that the opposi- The parliamentary election on October President Martin Schulz and the U.S. State Election Commission on November 12. tion will fight for every vote and will protect 28 disillusioned those who hoped for prog- Department agreed that vote-buying, “The opposition will protect the results of candidates in all districts. “It is impossible ress in Ukraine after the botched election unequal access to the media and the abuse the elections at the European Court of to make a compromise here... This position to the regional and municipal councils in of administrative resources meant that this Human Rights,” Mr. Yatsenyuk said. He is shared by the majority among three 2010. Like two years ago, radicals per- election was a step back compared to the underscored that the Ukrainian Parliament oppositional forces,” Mr. Grytsenko empha- must have not 445 but 450 national depu- formed better than expected while the lack parliamentary elections in 2006 and 2007, sized. (Ukrinform) of a level playing field and the immature as well as the presidential election in 2010 ties, and five seats should be rightfully given political culture spoiled the election. As a (Interfax-Ukraine, October 29; Ukrayinska to the opposition. “One of the main tasks of EUobserver on elections in Ukraine result, the victory by the ruling Party of Pravda, October 30). the opposition at the moment is to return the mandates of deputies of the Verkhovna KYIV – The Brussels-based online news- Regions of Ukraine (PRU) has been Pyrrhic. This prompted angry reactions from paper EUobserver has published an article Despite the PRU holding on to its majori- Kyiv. Mr. Azarov told U.S. Ambassador John Rada in the five disputed single-member constituencies,” the oppositionist said. In a on the state and prospects of political dia- ty, the opposition looks stronger and more Tefft that Western observers were biased logue between the European Union and unified now than before the election. In (Ukrayinska Pravda, October 30). The statement released on November 12, the Batkivshchyna, Svoboda and UDAR parties Ukraine in the context of the parliamentary addition, the European Union will hardly Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was “aston- elections of October 28. “Ukraine’s parlia- agree to sign an association and free trade ished” by the U.S. State Department’s said the opposition will not recognize the election results as long as the opposition mentary elections in October did nothing to agreement with Ukraine after such an elec- assessment and rejected the OSCE’s evalua- repair damage,” the author of the article tion.

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