Ukraine President Wins 2nd Term Over Communist
President Leonid D. Kuchma won a second term Sunday with a convincing victory over a Communist who frightened many voters with his calls to turn back to the Soviet era.
With more than 97% of the votes counted in the runoff election, Kuchma won 56% to Communist Party chief Petro Simonenko’s 38%, the Central Elections Commission reported.
Victory had been expected for Kuchma, despite unhappiness with his failure to rescue the economy or crack down on corruption. The 61-year-old former missile plant director focused his campaign on warnings that Simonenko would revive the restrictions of the Soviet era.
Simonenko, who tried at the last minute to persuade voters that they had nothing to fear, admitted Sunday that their fears were too great.
Simonenko had pledged to maintain rights to private property, support private business and restore churches despite the Communists’ atheist policies.
But the Communist program also called for a state-planned economy with price controls and heavy subsidies for major industries.
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