New York - 7 hours after voters in Ukraine began casting ballots for their choice in the run-off presidential elections, the polls opened at 8am EST at the Consulate of Ukraine in New York City. Ukrainian citizens visiting the United States were encouraged to travel to the nearest polling stations (New York and Chicago Consulates, or the Embassy in Washington) in order to participate in the electoral process. Buses carrying voters to New York City were organized by local churches, social organizations and other groups. Altogether, 431 voters submitted ballots at Vyborcha Dilnytsia (Electoral District) No. 54 in New York.

Voters were welcomed at the Consulate in NYC with hot coffee and the smiling faces of friendly consulate staff and the electoral commission members. Registration of each voter included the presentation of a passport as evidence of citizenship and date of arrival in this country, as well as evidence of residency in the US. Those who had participated in the first round of voting on October 31 were pre-registered, and were rushed through the registration desk on the "short line." Some first time voters waited up to an hour in order to process all the necessary documention for voter eligibility. On the whole, the day was handled with a high degree of efficiency and without incident.

Buses arriving from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Hartford Connecticut, Trenton New Jersey, and Boston Massachusetts, brought about 25-50 Ukrainian citizens each. Concern was expressed by many about the possibility of Ukraine's return to a soviet-style system should Kuchma lose to communist opponent Symonenko. Tallies from the first round on October 31 in the New York area showed overwhelming support among Ukrainians for the candidacy of Yevhen Marchuk, who advocated a hard-line "law and order" approach in his platform. While he obtained 53.5% of the total NYC count, Marchuk garnered only 8.1% of the overall total in Ukraine, and no other right wing or centrist candidate obtained any significant percentage.

In preparation for the run-offs that took place on November 14, communist Petro Symonenko allied himself with the losing left-wing candidates from the first round. President Kuchma, who drew 36.49% of the votes in the first round, teamed up with Marchuk (by appointing him head of the National Security and Defense Council) in the hopes that the 8.1% Marchuk votes would swing his way. Indeed, based on the final counts, Kuchma obtained not only the 8.1%, but also attracted votes from many who previously supported the first-round left-wing candidates. In the run-offs, the electorate in the New York area voted President Leonid Kuchma in for a second term by a landslide.

As reported by the Consulate General of Ukraine, the final electoral results for this district are:

384 89.1% Leonid Kuchma 16  3.7% Petro Symonenko 28  6.5% Neither candidate 3  0.7% Invalid 431  100%   TOTAL

Of the total votes cast just for the two candidates (400) excluding the invalid ballots and votes for neither:

96% Kuchma

 4% Symonenko

Consul Bohdan Yaremenko, head of the Electoral Commission in NYC, cuts the seal of the ballot box.

Emptying the contents of the ballot box

Ballots are sorted and counted.

Each stack is carefully recounted.

The final counts are recorded into the official forms.

As of 1pm EST on November 17, 1999, the nation-wide tally stood as follows:

37,676,574 Total registered voters 28,212,484 Participated in the electoral process 15,870,722 56.254% Leonid Kuchma 10,665,420 37.804% Petro Symonenko 970,181  3.439% Neither candidate * 706,161  2.503% Invalid ballots ** 28,212,484  100%   TOTAL

* Ukrainian law permits a vote of "none of the above."
** innacurately filled out ballots

Of the total votes cast just for the two candidates (26,536,142) excluding the invalid ballots and votes for neither:

60% Kuchma

40% Symonenko