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1NS1DE: ^ St. Andrews Brotherhood helps Ukraine's needy - page 3. ^ Crimean Tatars: between the Crimea and Ukraine - page 9. - The voters and the vote - centerfold. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association inc., a fraternal non-profit association vol. LXII No. 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL З, 1994 50 cents voters support Crimean republic's Over 75 percent of electorate further moves toward autonomy turns out to vote for Parliament by Roman Woronowycz electoral districts did not have the 50 per– Kyyiv Press Bureau cent voter turnout needed for valid elec– 49 deputies elected; tion and must hold elections again. S YMFEROP1L - The Crimean popula– in voting for the Ukrainian Parliament, 401 seats in runoffs tion seems to have fallen in step with the only one of the Crimea's 23 seats was desires of its recently elected president. by Marta Kolomayets filled. More than 62 percent of those eligi– Kyyiv Press Bureau The voters cast a dark shadow over the ble to vote registered for a ballot. future of this autonomous republic, which However, only 55.2 percent voted for a KYYiv - Defying predictions of voter for now remains part of Ukraine, by over– candidate. apathy, over 75 percent of Ukraine's whelmingly voting "yes" on a public Mr. Meshkov attempted to dissuade electorate went to the polls on Sunday, opinion survey on March 27 concerning the Crimean populace from voting in the March 27, to cast their ballots for a new the right of Crimeans to obtain Russian election of deputies to Ukraine's Parliament in the first democratic elec– citizenship in addition to Ukrainian. The Parliament when he said on Crimean tions in independent Ukraine. electorate also agreed that the Crimean television on March 25, "Take this ballot Although Ukraine's registered voters executive branch should have the ability (pulls out Ukrainian Parliament ballot), succeeded in electing only 49 deputies to to develop treaties and laws with Ukraine, stick it in your pocket and take it home a 450-member Supreme Council, the which in the eyes of the president will put with you. Do not put it in the box." high turnout reflects their anger with the the two countries on equal footing. Based on the number that voted, his state of affairs in Ukraine under the lead– The Ukrainian government has effort was only partially successful. ership of President Leonid Kravchuk, a declared both moves unconstitutional On Sunday, minutes after Mr. former Communist Party ideologist who and did not allow the questions to be put Meshkov had voted, he was asked has talked of market reforms, but done on the official election ballot. whether he had followed his own advice. little to initiate change. Some 90 percent of those who voted, He replied, "Next question please." in eastern Ukraine - in the regions of according to Crimean Presidential Whether the Crimean leader placed Luhanske and Donetske, and in the Advisor Sergei Nikulin, supported the his own tally sheet for the Ukrainian autonomous republic of the Crimea - two questions plus a third that asked Parliament in the ballot box or in his voters approved plebiscites on closer ties whether the Crimean leader should have pocket was impossible to determine due with Russia, posing the threat of sepa– the ability to make law via edict in areas to the mob that surrounded him at his ratism for this country of 52 million. where the regional parliament has not polling station in the Crimean Although these regional opinion polls already set policy. Ukrainian polling Hydrotechnical institute. He voted there had been banned by President Kravchuk, І! Marta Kolomayets officials put the figure at somewhere at 10 a.m. Moscow time with his spouse nearly 75 percent of the Crimea's voters, between 70 percent and 90 percent. A voter in the Kyyiv city center deposits Mr. Nikulin did not say how many eli– (Continued on page 9) (Continued on page 8) her ballot on March 27. gible voters filled out the survey, although unofficial results say more than 50 percent took part. Running on a platform of closer ties Observers say elections generally democratic with Russia, Mr. Meshkov was elected the two ways. Some concentrated on the pro– show up with two or three passports and peninsula's president on January 30 by by Roman Woronowycz cedures for actual voting on the day of the almost 75 percent of the populace, 70 per– Kyyiv Press Bureau vote on behalf of other people. This is a elections. Others were more comprehen– cent of whom are of Russian origin and remnant of the old Soviet voting system." KYYiv - Most election observers sive, taking into account the electoral law many on pensions. He decreed on March The Ukrainian Weekly, while reporting who descended upon this city for inde– and the way in which the candidates cam– 10 that a referendum would take place to from the Crimea, saw one person filling pendent Ukraine's first parliamentary paigned in the weeks prior to March 27. decide the Crimea's place within Ukraine. out what looked like more than a dozen elections on March 27 said generally that All observer organizations made an effort voting ballots. When asked, "Why so Five days later Ukraine's President the elections were open and democratic. to speak with members of Ukraine's many?" He said, "My friends and family Leonid Kravchuk annulled the plebiscite, However, many cited flaws in the elec– Central Electoral Commission and the did not feel like showing up to wait in saying it violated the country's constitu– tion process and infractions of common candidates, and to visit various polling lines, so 1 took their passports and did tion. Western voting practices via procedures precincts the day of the elections. them a favor." The individual, who would Undeterred, Mr. Meshkov renamed considered customary in this country. Both the Council of Europe, not identify himself, then pulled a handful the referendum an opinion poll and More than 500 observers from 53 Parliamentary Assembly of Europe, and of passports out of his pocket to verify his threw it into a separate ballot. He said countries dispersed throughout Ukraine the U.N. said they witnessed no major vot– story. to monitor the Sunday elections that the Crimean president's office would ing violations during the voting process. Lord Finsberg of the United Kingdom resulted in 49 candidates winning seats to maintain responsibility for tabulating the The elections were "free and fair" as a and leader of the Council of Europe dele– the new Parliament but leaving 401 open survey ballots. Council of Europe statement suggested. gation said at a March 29 press confer– until a runoff vote, which by law must it is less clear how much support The Council of Europe went on to say ence that Ukraine needs a "one passport- occur within two weeks. Crimean President Meshkov will have in that some inaccuracies were observed in one ballot, and one person per voting the regional parliament because only 12 of The list of observers ranged from rep– the counting of ballots at individual booth law." He added, "We will mention the 66 seats were rilled in the Sunday vote. resentatives of NATO, the United polling stations and that some infringe– this problem in our report." However, nine of the elected are members Nations, and the Commission on Security ments of regulations were evident. Lord Finsberg said that he and his col- of the Russia Bloc, the political alliance and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), to Passing passports to one individual who leagues had observed another custom not that Mr. Meshkov heads, in 49 electoral the National Democratic institute (ND1), then voted for the passport holders was practiced in democratic countries: districts no candidate received the 50 per– the Ukrainian American Coordinating considered the main infringement on cus– Several members of individual families cent necessary for election. Runoffs are to Council and the Non-Partisan Committee tomary Western voting procedures. Sarah entered voting booths together. He said, occur there within two weeks, in accor– of Ukrainian voters. Farnsworth of ND1 agreed. She said, dance with the electoral law. Five other Observers looked at the elections in "Polling commissions allowed people to (Continued on page 10) ^s^s^^^s^^^^^ CHRIST IS RISEN - ХРИСТОС BOCKPEC 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 3,1994 No. 14 Environmental groups get a boost from U.S. technical assistance Kyyiv blasts Meshkov, Russian meddling responsible for delays in delivering nuclear by Rebecca A. Morrison since mid-1993, in Ukraine, iSAR's fuel to Ukraine. Mr. Petrov said the U.S. Special to The Ukrainian Weekly main activities include the development KYYiv - After Crimean President has failed to provide a S60 million advance of a regional environmental NGO data- Yuriy Meshkov issued an order that local payment for the fuel rods that would be KYYiv - Environmental groups in base and an international clearinghouse conscripts serve only on the peninsula and Ukraine form a significant political and shipped westward. Ukraine has criticized on the environment, and the expansion of that the Ukrainian armed forces provide an Russia for not living up to its end of the social force. Encouraged by the relative an electronic mail network among exact account of the location of their units, freedoms afforded in the Gorbachev era, weapons-for-fuel swap agreed to under the indigenous groups. Just this month 1SAR Gen. ivan Bizhan, Ukraine's deputy terms of the tripartite U.S.-Russian- green movements sprang up throughout has begun administering a small grants defense minister, held a press conference the then-Soviet Union to express varying Ukrainian pact signed in January.

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