On This Day: Crowds, later general strikes, force revote for different Ukrainian President - Nov. 22, 2004
(edited from Wikipedia)
"
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter intimidation and electoral fraud.
Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, was the focal point of the movement's campaign of civil resistance, with thousands of protesters demonstrating daily. Nationwide, this was highlighted by a series of acts of civil disobedience, sit-ins, and general strikes organized by the opposition movement.
The protests were prompted by reports from several domestic and foreign election monitors as well as the widespread public perception that the results of the run-off vote of 21 November 2004 between leading candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych were rigged by the authorities in favour of the latter.
November 22, 2004
Ukraine's CEC announced that with 99% of the vote counted, Yanukovych had 49.4% of the vote while Yushchenko had 46.7%. This was rejected by the opposition, with Yushchenko calling on supporters to protest "the total falsification of the vote." The rally in Kyiv grew in size while large demonstrations were also held elsewhere in Ukraine. Some of the demonstrators set up tents in Kyiv's Independence Square.
Later that night, Yushchenko told supporters to stay in the square overnight to keep the tent encampment safe from security forces who wanted to dismantle it.
We have received information that authorities want to destroy our tent city at 3 a.m. ... At two o'clock there should be more of us than now. We must defend every chestnut tree, every tent. We must show to the authorities we are here for a long time... There must be more and more of us here every hour.
November 24, 2004
Yushchenko urged his supporters to engage in a series of nationwide general strikes – an "Orange Revolution", after his campaign color – with the intent of crippling the government and forcing Yanukovych to concede defeat. Hundreds of tents were erected in Kyiv's Independence Square and the nearby Lenin Library was taken over to serve as the protesters' headquarters. The protesters also blockaded the Council of Ministers in Kyiv, paralysing the government.
December 3, 2004
After five days of deliberations, Ukraine's Supreme Court declared the results of the run-off election to be invalid. The court's chairman, Anatoly Yarema, ordered that a repeat vote should take place within three weeks counting from December 5 (i.e., no later than 26 December).
[Revote]
The nationwide protests succeeded when the results of the original run-off were annulled, and a revote was ordered by Ukraine's Supreme Court for 26 December 2004. Under intense scrutiny by domestic and international observers, the second run-off was declared to be "free and fair". The final results showed a clear victory for Yushchenko, who received about 52% of the vote, compared to Yanukovych's 44%. Yushchenko was declared the official winner and with his inauguration on 23 January 2005 in Kyiv, the Orange Revolution ended.
[Aftermath]
In the 2010 presidential election, Yanukovych became Yushchenko's successor as President of Ukraine after the Central Election Commission and international observers declared that the presidential election was conducted fairly. Yanukovych was ousted from power four years later following the February 2014 Euromaidan clashes in Kyiv's Independence Square. Unlike the bloodless Orange Revolution, these protests resulted in more than 100 deaths, occurring mostly between 18 and 20 February 2014.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Orange_Revolution
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