Yes Yanukovich was democratically elected after 5 years of political deadlock after under the previous crowd.
On becomng elected Yanukovich changed the constitution to give himself supreme executive power. The power to appoint the Prime Mnster, the entire national judiciary, all oblast governors, the heads of the armed forces, the governor of the central bank, the heads of all the state owned arms manufacturers, the heads of every organ of state, tax collection, police, envronmental, education, deans of universities, and so on. These positions were handed out as rewards to those Yanukovich supporters who helped him to become President.
These Yanuvch appointees were then completely obedient to him
Ths is of course completely OK as Yanukovich was democratically elected.
Imagine if an incoming political leader in Australia did all that, my guess is you wouldn't sit there and say, it's alright, he was democratically elected.
Yanukovich and his small group of cohorts, known as the family then could do what they want.
Want to take over a company, send armed tax inspectors in every week for months, tie the owners up in manufactured tax disputes. When the owner doesn't pay sieze his business in lieu of unpaid taxes. Give the business to a famly group member, drop tax charges, have prevous owner thrown in prison when he tries to reclaim his business. The Jan 16 laws passed by Yanukovch made libel criminal against public figures. This is how Olexander Yanukovich, his son, has built a $500mn dollar fortune in less than 4 years. This is all ok of course because Yanukovich senior was democratically elected
Want you kid to pass his unversity degree with a good grade, it will oost $1500 - $3000. Ths only applies to the good students as they have the most to lose by being awarded fail marks. The money goes to the Yanukovich appointed Dean and additional payments have to be made to exam marking staff. Ths is why University Deans are very popular rewards handed out by Yanukovich. Most University Deans drive big Mercedes cars and live in luxurious flats.
Want to build a housing estate on national parkland, $1mn should do the trick and it is re-zoned.
You surely don't believe this is all ok because he was democratically elected.
How a man on a $2000 a month Presidential salary lives in a $200mn palace which he owns and openly boasts that the marble work alone cost more than $20mn and the doors $64 000 each. Again all ok because he was democratically elected.
And then yesterday, this paragon of democracy called a day of mourning for the 26 people shot dead the day before. On this day of mourning he sent out snipers with live ammo who killed another 50+ of Ukraine's citizens.
Which is of course perfectly OK as long as you are democratically elected.
I said earlier I wouldn't post stuff like the video in the link below. Completely unarmed protesters entering an open area to try and rescue a colleague who is lying injured in the street. Snipers open fire on them, warning you will see young people die if you follow this link, I have not posted the video here just the link so you can decide if you really want to watch it.
Link here .... Warning Graphic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahjaTulXPGQ
Authorising snipers to kill unarmed young civilians like this is also apparently OK if you are democratically elected.
If you really believe that I feel sorry for the hardness in your heart and emptiness in your soul.
We demonstrated peacefully for more than 3 months and nothing changed apart from 5 protesters getting shot dead. When the protests turned violent we have a result in early presidential elections, return of the 2004 constitution, parliamentary elections and the removal of weapons from the evil Berkut, amongst others. Yanukovich only understands violence it now seems. All this was voted for in the parliament by a constitutional majority
You might also want to consider that Adolf Hitler killed 6mn jews and tens of millions more died as a result of his meglomania - was that OK too? He was another democratically elected national leader but no one was brave enough to stop him.
I think that really will be my final post, unless of course Russia invades once the Sochi Olympics are concluded.
