Yushchenko and Yanukovych nearly tie in the first round of the 2004 presidential election.
31 October 2004: Presidential elections are held in Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko, leader of the ‘Our Ukraine’ Opposition bloc, and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych of the Party of the Regions place first and second in the first round of voting, taking 39.87% and 39.32% of the vote, respectively.
21 November 2004: The second round of voting takes place. The next morning, Yushchenko supporters organize a tent encampment on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in central Kiev, convinced that the results of the voting will be falsified.
22 November 2004: The Viktor Yushchenko-Yulia Tymoshenko opposition bloc announces the “total mobilisation” of their supporters. Thousands of demonstrators gather on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The ‘Orange Revolution’ – branding itself after the colour of Yushchenko’s election campaign, begins.
22 November 2004: The preliminary results of the second round of voting are released, with Yanukovych leading with 49.46% to Yushchenko’s 46.61%. The results demonstrate the split nature of the country, with central and western Ukraine voting for Yuschchenko while the south and southeast shows support for Yanukovych.
23 November 2004: Protesters led by Yushchenko move out toward the Verkhovna Rada – the country’s parliament building. Yushchenko proclaims himself president of Ukraine. At the same time, supporters of Yanukovych begin to arrive in Kiev, decked out in blue, the colour of Yanukovych’s campaign. On 24 November, the Central Election Commission declares Yanukovych the winner, saying he came out on top by less than 3% of the vote. Yushchenko refuses to concede defeat.
27 November 2004: Yushchenko demands a redo of the vote “with a new composition of the Central Election Commission”. On 29 November, protesters begin to paralyse the work of the government. On 3 December, Ukraine’s Supreme Court nullifies the results of the second round of the elections, and sets a redo vote to be held on 26 December.
16 December 2004: The General Prosecutor’s office opens an investigation into alleged abuse of power by the Central Election Commission’s personnel. Sitting President Leonid Kuchma proposes that Viktor Yanukovych resign as prime minister. Yanukovych refuses.
26 December 2004: The redo of the election runoff occurs. Between 28 December 2004 and 10 January 2005, Yanukovych’s campaign sends the Supreme Court multiple complaints about alleged electoral violations. The Court rejects the complaints. On 5 January 2005, President Kuchma accepts Yanukovych’s resignation. The cabinet of ministers is dissolved.
6 January 2005: Ukraine’s Supreme Court rejects an appeal contesting the vote by Yanukovych, authorizing the Central Election Commission to release its official results of the redo vote declaring Viktor Yushchenko the winner, with 51.99% compared to Yanukovych’s 44.2%. On 25 January, the opposition’s tent cities are removed from the centre of Kiev.