Ukrainians Call Debate a Draw

The Associated Press

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/11/17/006.html
KIEV -- The televised debate between Ukraine's presidential candidates, the country's first in a decade, attracted wide attention, but viewers said Tuesday that the 100-minute showdown did not change their opinions ahead of this weekend's crucial runoff vote.

Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych each got about 39 percent in the Oct. 31 first round and are scrambling to attract support that was divided among 22 other candidates. Both were looking for a knockout blow from Monday night's debate, where they traded barbs over corruption, the economy, social
programs and foreign policy.

"Yanukovych did much better than expected, and Yushchenko looked down at his notes too much -- neither one probably won much new support," said Viktor Artemyov, 53, as he hustled down a main Kiev street toward his office.

Mykola Veresen, the leading anchorman for Ukraine's pro-opposition TV5, said, "The debate ended in a draw."

The debate was marked by animosity with both candidates glaring and wagging their fingers at each other. Yanukovych, who had the last word, ended the debate with a harsh attack in his native Russian on his opponent.

Yanukovych "was an evil civil servant who used nothing but aggression and failed to offer a single solid argument in his behalf," said Yulia Tymoshenko, a popular opposition leader and a key Yushchenko ally.

Yanukovych, however, told Interfax, "I said I would only speak the truth."

The debate offered little new information about the candidates' positions, leaving Ukrainians to ponder over style.

"God cursed Yanukovych. He forgot Russian and did not learn Ukrainian," said Hrihory Boliyta, a 68-year-old retiree, referring to the prime minister's poor command of Ukrainian and grammatical mistakes in his native Russian.

Meanwhile, dozens of journalists from Kiev's leading television stations rallied in Kiev to demand an end to a government crackdown on independent and opposition media. Thousands of students demonstrated in Ivano Frankivsk to call for free and fair elections.

Also, the Yushchenko campaign got a boost from an endorsement by WBC heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, a top national celebrity.