By Jason Ward Boyte

Ukraine is in a bitter fight that makes the US’s 2000 presidential election look like a love fest. Outgoing president’s pick and current PM Yanukovych – openly endorsed by Russia’s Putin – is accused of stealing the election from opposition party candidate Viktor Yushenko, not to mention poisoning him in the process.

In a battle widely viewed as an East vs. West, Capitalism vs. Socialism (or at least more and more socialist-leaning), Ukraine is seen as a barometer of what may come in the region. With Russia pinching civil rights and freedom of speech in ways reminiscent of cold-war Soviet Union, Russia’s obvious bias toward the supposed winner, Yanukovych, makes westerners wonder if the Ukraine will lean back to its socialist past rather than bow to its capitalistic future.

What to do? Well, apparently a number of things are going right for those contesting the election. Their massive protests seem to be working: their parliament has officially denounced the elections as a fraud (though that means nothing) and now finally even current president Kuchma has asked for a new election “to preserve the peace”, despite his favoring Yanukovych.

Wow. So does that mean you might actually be able to do something democratically if you actually try? Can’t be. Let’s not trouble ourselves about it and let the Supreme Court decide.