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09-12-2004 00:07 Maidan-INFORM
Yushchenko's Address on Maidan

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Today we are not ashamed to look each other in the eyes - into the eyes of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, partners.

I am grateful to your hearts, which during these 17 days were beating for this cause of national importance, and I am sure that in a couple of months each of you will proudly hold an album with photos labeled “I was there, too.”

In particular, I would like to salute the city of Kyiv, which fed and warmed the Maidan. Kyiv's people were the first to come here and stayed here in the most difficult moments. I would also like honor the Mayor of Kyiv, O.O. Omelchenko. The words of many famous people that came and addressed Maidan also warmed our hearts. The same goes for performers and musicians. These were the best concerts of the best singers performed in days of great trial for the Ukrainian people.

Police declared their support, the army was with the Ukrainian people - but you know that there were moments when arms were already on standby. I am grateful to the people in uniform that they have been and will be with the nation. Glory to you, dear friends, for not losing control and firing on your brothers. Glory to you! (Yu-shchen-ko! Well done! [Molodtsi!])

Tonight we express our gratitude to all those who supported the Ukrainian Orange Revolution. These were days when everybody in the world, even those who didn’t know what or where Ukraine is, came to know us.

What happened during these few weeks? Our victory, already in the first round, proved that the current administration is a colossus on clay feet. A tremendous change occurred in the life of the country and in that of the people. It was said that a Ukrainian from the East will never find common language with a Ukrainian from the West, that all efforts are in vain. But the Ukrainian people have always been and will be one. Truth...

(The crowd: Truth! Truth! [Pravda! Pravda!])

Truth came to both sides of the Dnipro. 17 regions supported me as a presidential candidate. We have seen that during those 17 days, a European political nation was born. People took to the streets to themselves oppose injustice. This is one of the phenomena: people learned not only to make a choice, but also to defend it.

The future of this country will not be written by a gang: we are not going to live according to their ideas and walk in step. That will not happen anymore! (The crowd: Yu-shchen-ko!)

Dear friends!

We have demonstrated our faith in this cause, to make it possible for tens of millions of Ukrainians to see faith in their prospects.

What happened during these 17 days?

1) The Supreme Court, in public investigation, annulled the election results: this was our first demand.

2) The Central Election Committee members that had betrayed tens of millions of people were dismissed. (The crowd: Shame! Shame! [Han'ba! Han'ba!]) The CEC in its previous form does not exist any more. Today in parliament, we witnessed the dismissal of Kivalov. This attests to the importance of people’s confidence, because one year ago, 402 MPs voted for him. The Security Service of Ukraine has raised the matter of falsifications, and soon we will know who committed the crime. After this, I am sure that the CEC will never become the focus of manipulations.

3) Our third demand was to change the laws that have permitted authorities to falsify the elections. Between 1.5 and 2 million votes were falsified due to the abuse of absentee ballots. Voting at home was also used to manipulate voting in favor of the government's candidate. My representatives monitored only 20 out of 3016 electoral commissions tn the Donetsk region! A few hours ago this law was changed. There was only one problem: whether or not the president wiould sign this law. It was essential to make the president come to parliament, so we could see him sign it.

4) And the last demand: Yanukovych’s cabinet was dismissed. This is the public evaluation of the person was the falsifier. The Prosecutor General resigned, too. Unfortunately, Mr Vasilyev didn't comply with the law: more than the law he respected telephone calls from Medvedchuk, so he paid for it fully. I hope that tomorrow, Interior Minister Bilokon will follow the same path, as will all other ministers that dishonored their positions.

Dear friends!

The most important thing is that blood was not shed. I promised that to you, and I am happy that what we have accomplished what we did with nonviolent resistance.

I am grateful to the international community and to Europe. Ukraine will never again be on the periphery.

My special thanks to the students that have initiated our actions. The absolute majority of my allies were once students, too; but you deserve the highest praise. Glory to you!

Dear friends!

We see that only a few days remain until the regime’s agony is over. But one of the most dangerous problems of the contemporary world, separatism, still remains. Who would believe that governors of some regions would start discussing the division of the country? But they did. For this reason, I appeal to the people of Dontesk, Luhansk, Kharkiv regions: don’t believe a single word said to you by your governors! Nothing divides us. All of us are Ukrainians, and the time will come when we will demonstrate to the whole world the spirit of unity that has already reigned in the Maidan for 17 days. Our task is to bring this spirit to all parts of Ukraine.

I assure you: everyone will speak the language he or she wants. Everyone will pray in the church of his of her choosing. The rich will help the poor. Honest people in Donbas and in the Lviv region will have a better life.

One step remains, in order to change the country: the re-run of the election on December 26. We have to hold these elections, all of us together, in order to win.

My dear friends, enroll in the organization you wish to work with as a campaign activist, an observer or a commission member. Submit your application and you will work in the position that suits you.

I call on you to be especially active in these last few days. I call on those who have spent many nights in the tent camps: both in the upper one and in the lower one, near the Presidential Administration and near the Cabinet of Ministers! Now we only have to think about one thing: December 26. All of you must go back to the various parts of Ukraine and work for the victory. Only those who will stand guard will stay here.

We now leave this stage until December 26. This is our command post, from which the messages of the Committee of National Salvation and of our allies and supporters will be voiced. Listen to the Maidan, my dear friends! Roman Bezsmertnyj has been appointed as the person responsible for the Maidan.

One step is left to victory. I have always been sure of our victory; if I had not been, I would have never run in the presidential elections. But you were a special generator of our victories. You were heroes and you remain heroes. Therefore, I end my address in a traditional manner:

Glory to everyone of us!

Glory to our dear Ukraine!

Glory to our Lord!

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