III 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 16 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JANUARY 26, 2005 
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Congratulating the people of Ukraine for conducting a demo-
cratic, transparent, and fair runoff presidential election 
on December 26, 2004, and congratulating Viktor 
Yushchenko on his election as President of Ukraine and 
his commitment to democracy and reform. 
Whereas the establishment of a democratic, transparent, and 
fair election process for the 2004 presidential election in 
Ukraine and of a genuinely democratic political system 
have been prerequisites for that country’s full integration 
into the international community of democracies; 
Whereas the Government of Ukraine has accepted numerous 
specific commitments governing the conduct of elections
HCON 16 RFS 
as a participating State of the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); 
Whereas the election of Ukraine’s next president was seen as 
an unambiguous test of the extent of the Ukrainian au-
thorities’ commitment to implement these standards and 
build a democratic society based on free elections and the 
rule of law; 
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires govern-
ment and public authorities to ensure that candidates 
and political parties enjoy equal treatment before the law 
and that government resources are not employed to the 
advantage of individual candidates or political parties; 
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires the full 
transparency of laws and regulations governing elections, 
multiparty representation on election commissions, and 
unobstructed access by candidates, political parties, and 
domestic and international observers to all election proce-
dures, including voting and vote-counting in all areas of 
the country; 
Whereas efforts by national and local officials and others act-
ing at the behest of such officials to impose obstacles to 
free assembly, free speech, and a free and fair political 
campaign took place throughout Ukraine during the en-
tire 2004 presidential election campaign without con-
demnation or remedial action by the Government of 
Ukraine; 
Whereas on October 31, 2004, Ukraine held the first round 
of its presidential election and on November 21, 2004, 
Ukraine held a runoff presidential election between the 
two 
leading 
candidates, 
Prime 
Minister 
Viktor 
Yanukovich and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko;
HCON 16 RFS 
Whereas a consensus of Ukrainian and international election 
observers determined that the runoff election did not 
meet a considerable number of international standards 
for democratic elections, and these observers specifically 
declared that state resources were abused in support of 
Viktor Yanukovich, and that illegal voting by absentee 
ballot, multiple voting, assaults on electoral observers and 
journalists, and the use of counterfeit ballots were wide-
spread; 
Whereas following the runoff presidential election on Novem-
ber 21, 2004, tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens en-
gaged in peaceful demonstrations in Kiev and elsewhere 
to protest the unfair election and the declaration by the 
Ukrainian Central Election Commission that Viktor 
Yanukovich had won a majority of the votes; 
Whereas the Ukrainian Supreme Court blocked the publica-
tion of the official runoff election results thus preventing 
the inauguration of the next president of Ukraine until 
the Supreme Court examined the reports of voter fraud; 
Whereas on November 27, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine 
passed a resolution declaring that there were violations of 
law during the runoff presidential election on November 
21, 2004, and that the results of this election did not re-
flect the will of the Ukrainian people; 
Whereas on December 1, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine 
passed a no confidence motion regarding the government 
of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich; 
Whereas European mediators and current Ukrainian Presi-
dent Leonid Kuchma began discussions on December 1, 
2004, to attempt to work out a resolution to the standoff 
between the supporters of both presidential candidates;
HCON 16 RFS 
Whereas on December 3, 2004, the Ukrainian Supreme 
Court ruled that the runoff presidential election on No-
vember 21, 2004, was invalid and ordered a new presi-
dential election to take place on December 26, 2004; 
Whereas on December 8, 2004, the Parliament of Ukraine 
passed laws to reform the Ukrainian electoral process, in-
cluding to reconstitute the Ukrainian Central Election 
Commission, and to close loopholes for fraud in prepara-
tion for a new presidential election; 
Whereas on December 26, 2004, the people of Ukraine again 
went to the polls to elect the next president of Ukraine 
in what the consensus of domestic and international ob-
servers declared as a more democratic, transparent, and 
fair election process with fewer problems than the pre-
vious two rounds; 
Whereas on January 10, 2005, the election victory of opposi-
tion leader Viktor Yushchenko was certified by the 
Ukrainian Central Election Commission; and 
Whereas the runoff presidential election on December 26, 
2004, signifies a turning point for Ukraine which offers 
new hope and opportunity to the people of Ukraine: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) commends the people and Government of 
Ukraine for their commitment to democracy and 
their determination to end the political crisis in that 
country in a peaceful and democratic manner;
HCON 16 RFS 
(2) congratulates the people and Government of 
Ukraine for ensuring a free and fair runoff presi-
dential election which represents the true choice of 
the Ukrainian people; 
(3) congratulates Viktor Yushchenko on his 
election as President of Ukraine; 
(4) applauds the Ukrainian presidential can-
didates, the European Union and other European 
representatives, and the United States Government 
for the role they played in helping to find a peaceful 
resolution of the crisis; 
(5) acknowledges and welcomes the strong rela-
tionship formed between the United States and 
Ukraine and expresses its strong and continuing 
support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people and 
the new Government of Ukraine to establish a full 
democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human 
rights; and 
(6) pledges its assistance to the strengthening 
of a fully free and open democratic system in 
Ukraine, the creation of a prosperous free market 
economy in Ukraine, the reaffirmation of Ukraine’s 
independence 
and 
territorial 
sovereignty, 
and
HCON 16 RFS 
Ukraine’s full integration into the international com-
munity of democracies. 
Passed the House of Representatives January 25, 
2005. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.