Ukrainians have come far in meeting democratic standards

When MEPs declared the Ukrainian general elections of March 2006 to have been "free and fair" it was a far cry from the scorching criticism they voiced in 2004. Blatant vote-rigging made the Ukrainian people to take to the streets. The "Orange Revolution" was staunchly supported by the European Parliament and culminated in a rerun of the presidential elections. This time, MEPs were happy to see democracy win at the ballot box.