Viktor Yanukovych

Ukrainian politician, Prime Minister from November 21, 2002 who became embroiled in a bitter battle for election to the Presidency in late 2004. Orphaned as a teenager, Yanukovych was brought up by his grandmother. He was imprisoned at age 18 and again two years later after he was convicted of robbery and bodily injury although he was reportedly acquitted in 1978 without documentation. In 1972, he became an electrician and in 1980 qualified through his studies to be a mechanical engineer. That year he was appointed chief manager of a transportation company and admitted to the CPSU party. He rose through the management ranks in regional automotive transport and in 1997 was appointed Head of State Administration of his native province Donets'ka oblast. In 2001 he graduated from Ukrainian Academy of Foreign Trade as a Master of International Law and later he was granted the titles of Doctor of Science and Professor though some have claimed that he is virtually illiterate. He has also been accused by his detractors of having had ties to local organized crime since the late 1980s and of being its lobbyist to national politicians. Some detractors also allege he has links to the KGB. His party is pro-big-business and he advocates closer relationships with Russia, promoting the use of the Russian language in the Ukraine. In the Presidential campaign of 2004, he was backed by the authorities, including the incumbent President Leonid Kuchma. The elections held on October 31, 2004 yielded no clear winner, with Yanukovych and his closest opponent, Victor Yushchenko in a virtual tie. Although the run-off vote held on November 21, 2004 gave Yanukovych victory by a small margin, the opposition declared the elections had been rigged. Popular demonstrations and strikes led the Parliament to declare the results invalid. On November 27, 2004, the parliament passed a resolution, upheld by the Supreme Court on December 3, 2004, that the run-off was invalid. The Parliament also passed a resolution of no confidence in the Elections Commissions and in the Government. He is married with two children. On December 31, 2004, he resigned from his post as Prime Minister vowing to appeal the December 26, 2004 presidential election in which his opponent Yushchenko won the majority of the votes. The Supreme Court dismissed his motions in January 2005. Link to Wikipedia biography