ELECTIONS

Dear Friends,

Once again Ukrainians will go to the polls this Sunday in order to elect a new parliament. Unlike in America, Ukrainian are asked to vote for certain political parties and not individuals. The result of that is that every party receiving at least 3% of the popular vote is allocated seats in the 450-member parliament, based on their showing in the election.

If you recall the Orange Revolution that took place in 2004 may remember that Ukraine's presidential election results were challenged by mass demonstrations and eventually overturned due to fraud. The ultimate winner, Victor Yuschenko, was also poisoned during the campaign and controversy still surrounds that incident. Unfortunately, he has been unable to make much of any change here in Ukraine and has squandered multiple opportunities to move Ukraine forward towards a free and democratic society.

The current Prime Minister, Victor Yanukovich, was the president's opposition during the presidential election and is a major player in this election as well. The other major player in this election is Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and opposition leader. Along with these three major groups, there are several other smaller parties that are hoping to be represented in the parliament, but prelimary polls suggest there are big questions as to that becoming reality.

So what does that mean for us? We don't really know. It could possibly affect our adoption of Markian and Josiah, if there are major changes in the makeup of government, as new people may be appointed to take over that governmental department (this has happened several times in recent history). It also could affect our status here as religious workers, as one of the parties has expressed a desire to restore the power of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Frankly, we don't expect that that would happen but we are aware of the fact that we live here as guests of the Ukrainian government.

For Ukraine as a whole, this may be a turning point in many spheres. For example, there are definite differences between parties as to which direction they look to for support and identity. One to the West, the other to Russia. In the area of corruption, we have seen over the past few years that some parties take a harder line with corrupt officials than others. It could also affect the ability of individuals to own land. Currently, land ownership is strictly controlled by the government and limited to small plots around your building.

These are just some examples of areas that may be affected by the election. Here is how you can be praying:

--that the elections would be peaceful, free, and fair

--that the future government would place the people's interests above their own

--that the elected parliament would press towards a corrupt-free society

--that the elected leaders would have the courage to stand for truth and justice

Thank you so much for lifting these needs up before our Sovereign King, who, after all, is on the throne.