Will Tymoshenko concede?
With more than 99 percent of the vote counted, there seems to be little doubt left and that Viktor Yanukovych has defeated his one-time Orange Revolution foe Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukraine’s presidential election. But, never one to avoid drama, Tymoshenko has not conceded yet leading opponents and supporters alike to wonder if she plans to ...
With more than 99 percent of the vote counted, there seems to be little doubt left and that Viktor Yanukovych has defeated his one-time Orange Revolution foe Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukraine's presidential election. But, never one to avoid drama, Tymoshenko has not conceded yet leading opponents and supporters alike to wonder if she plans to take to the streets again.
Not likely says the BBC's Richard Galpin:
At a news conference in Kiev on Monday, a team of election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was blunt in its assessment of Ukraine's post-election landscape.
With more than 99 percent of the vote counted, there seems to be little doubt left and that Viktor Yanukovych has defeated his one-time Orange Revolution foe Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukraine’s presidential election. But, never one to avoid drama, Tymoshenko has not conceded yet leading opponents and supporters alike to wonder if she plans to take to the streets again.
Not likely says the BBC’s Richard Galpin:
At a news conference in Kiev on Monday, a team of election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was blunt in its assessment of Ukraine’s post-election landscape.
"Yesterday’s vote was an impressive display of democratic elections. For everyone in Ukraine, this election was a victory," said Joao Soares, the team co-ordinator.
"It is now time for the country’s political leaders to listen to the people’s verdict and make sure that the transition of power is peaceful and constructive."
Those two sentences alone may have been enough to cut the ground from underneath Mrs Tymoshenko’s feet.
Challenging the election result in the courts or on the street without the cover of credible allegations of fraud would be a tough sell even to her own supporters.
This time around, there isn’t a whole lot of daylight between Tymoshenko and Yanukovych’s positions, and it would be hard to imagine her being able to drum up the same level of fervor for an opposition movement.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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