Communist Web Wednesday 16th February 2000 9.30pm gmt Ukraine: Dangerous Developments Last week saw reports of a tense stand-off in Kiev, capital of the Ukraine. Troops had surrounded Ukraine's parliament - inside were nearly 200 opposition deputies, some of them on hunger strike. The deputies oppose right-wing President Kuchma's plan to abolish Ukraine's elected legislature and replace it with a body more compliant with his wishes.Mr Kuchma's wish list includes bringing Ukraine into NATO as well as privatising land and carrying out measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The recent presidential elections won by Kuchma had been anything but "clean". The Communist Party of Ukraine which polled very strongly has evidence of marked ballots, ballot-box stuffing and vote buying to Ukraine's criminal court but was told that those matters were outside the court's jurisdiction.In the first round of the presidential elections Mr Kuchma's presidential rival had been injured when a hand grenade exploded at an election rally. Mr Kuchma first took office in 1996. At the time his election was generously aided by the Soros Foundation. Since the Soviet Union split up, the Ukraine has been courted by the West like a very exceptional... http://www.billkath.demon.co.uk/cw/ukr/ukr.html
