The aim, naturally, was to kill me," Yushchenko said at the time. "It is my growing conviction that what happened to me was an act of political reprisal against a politician in opposition. Doctors said his blood dioxin level was "more than 1,000 times" normal and suggested he had eaten the poison. Tests confirmed Yushchenko had been poisoned with dioxin, a chemical found in agent orange, according to The New York Times. In September 2004, Yushchenko became seriously ill, so much so that he was transported to a hospital in Vienna, Austria, suffering from intestinal issues as well as face disfigurement with jaundice and pockmarks. Was Viktor Yushchenko poisoned?Īnother factor that contributed to the "Orange Revolution" was what happened to Yushchenko during his presidential campaign. The protests were successful in having a another election between the two candidates, in which Yushchenko won with 52% of votes. The civil protests became known as the "Orange Revolution" and gained global attention over Russia's influence in Ukraine. The claims of a rigged election by Russian interference gained traction in the country, resulting in mass protesting taking place across Ukraine. Ukraine has a two-part election system, in which if no presidential candidate gains at least 50% of votes, a runoff election will take place between the top two vote-getters.Īfter no one gained 50% of votes, a runoff took place between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych went on to win the runoff and the election, but the Yushchenko campaign claimed the election was rigged in favor of Yanukovych, claiming he was strongly supported by Russia and that officials there had interfered.
However, Ukraine's 2004 presidential election was anything but ordinary. Yushchenko was elected president of Ukraine in 2004, took office in 2005 and remained there until 2010.
The news comes to you: Sign up for the latest updates on the situation in Ukraine here When was Viktor Yushchenko president? Live updates: Shells pound Kharkiv as Russia escalates attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas US to ban Russian planes from airspace
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