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BBC Monitoring Service Research, UK, April 21, 2004
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Viktor Yanukovich (AP, Efrem Lukatskyu, Nov. 21, 2001)
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Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is poised to become one of the
two main contenders for the presidency in the election due to be held on 31
October 2003. Nominated by the parliamentary-government coalition of forces
loyal to outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, Yanukovych is thought best placed
among the pro-Kuchma politicians to challenge the popular opposition leader,
Viktor Yushchenko, and to secure safe retirement for the incumbent.
The latest opinion polls have shown Yanukovych overtaking Communist leader
Petro Symonenko, who had been firmly in second place, and edging closer
towards the frontrunner, Yushchenko.
Born into a family of a metalworker and a nurse in 1950 in the east
Ukrainian town of Yenakiyeve and orphaned at the age of five, Yanukovych had
a turbulent childhood, which saw him convicted for beatings and serving time
twice in a penitentiary. The convictions were later overturned, his official
biography says.
Having received a university degree in mechanical engineering at the age of
30, Yanukovych began a successful career as a transport executive in the
coal-mining industry, reaching senior managerial posts and becoming governor
of Donetsk Region, Ukraine's industrial powerhouse populated by 5m people
(in 1997). Yanukovych is regarded as a key figure in the business empire of
Donetsk tycoon Rinat Akhmetov and an initiator of setting up the large
corporation Industrial Union of Donbass.
Yanukovych rose to prominence on the national political scene when Kuchma
named him as prime minister in November 2002. Being viewed as the figurehead
of the Donetsk business and political group, which has been vying for clout
with Dnipropetrovsk and Kiev "oligarchs", Yanukovych is believed to enjoy
the personal trust of Kuchma, whom Yanukovych as a regional governor
supported in all the elections and the 2000 referendum.
Contrary to expectations, the densely-populated and traditionally
pro-Communist Donetsk Region gave more votes to Kuchma than to Symonenko
in the 1999 presidential election run-off. The Yanukovych-led Party of
Regions
was also the driving force behind the merger of pro-Kuchma parties into the
For a United Ukraine alliance in the 2001 parliamentary election, securing
the bloc's victory over the opposition's Our Ukraine in Donetsk Region - in
contrast to the rest of the country.
Despite having the physique of a heavyweight boxer (a height of 195 cm) and
his somewhat awkward manner of speaking and carrying himself, often
ridiculed by the Kiev establishment and the opposition, Yanukovych has
surprised his opponents by mastering the Ukrainian language and avoiding any
serious blunders as prime minister.
Analysts say he has succeeded in walking a tightrope between the need to
maintain his image as a representative of Ukraine's Russian-speaking and
Russia-friendly east and the new reputation of a statist determined to
defend national interests.
Having won Vladimir Putin's favour as Kuchma's "consistent successor",
Yanukovych has nevertheless managed to rein in the most fervent proponents
of integration with Russia, stalling plans to reverse the flow of the
controversial Odessa-Brody oil pipeline and somewhat slowing down the
formation of the Single Economic Space of four post-Soviet republic being
pushed for by Russia.
Pundits expect a close contest between Yushchenko and Yanukovych, who has
all the government machinery and the backing of the parliamentary majority
to make up for the gap in popularity ratings. Despite the support publicly
voiced for Yanukovych by the movers and shakers in the
parliamentary-government coalition, such as National Bank governor Serhiy
Tyhypko and presidential chief of staff Viktor Medvedchuk, sceptics have
called the coalition's cohesion into question.
People's Democratic Party leader Valeriy Pustovoytenko has already broken
ranks, saying his party is strong enough to field its own candidate, and
casting doubt on the coalition's choice. Speculation is rife that Medvedchuk
may unofficially place his bet on a different candidate while Kuchma himself
may covertly opt to back Yushchenko in return for guarantees of a safe exit.
Yanukovych became a doctor of economics in 2000 and president of the
National Olympic Committee in December 2002. He is married to Lyudmyla, a
housewife, and has two grown-up sons, Oleksandr and Viktor.
Viltor Yanukovich and President Kuchma
(Reuters, Chernobyl Ceremony,April 26, 2004)
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