Ukraine leader to address U.S. Congress
Lawmakers to welcome Yushchenko next week
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who came to power in January after a popular uprising, will address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress next week, Senate and House leaders said Wednesday.
Yushchenko will speak to the American lawmakers April 6.
"President Yushchenko's election is inspiring the spread of democracy throughout the world, in spite of threats and intimidation," said a statement from House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee.
"We welcome him to this cathedral of democracy and look forward to hearing from him."
In November, Yushchenko lost the presidency in an election plagued by widespread fraud. His supporters considered the race rigged by his opponents.
Daily protests helped lead the way to new elections. Ukraine's Supreme Court voided the outcome, and a rerun of the contest was held in December. This time, Yushchenko easily defeated Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.
In a subplot to the political drama, Yushchenko's face became disfigured after he fell ill in September. Doctors determined that he had been poisoned with dioxin. His supporters suspect political enemies played a role.
Ukraine is one of three former Soviet republics that have experienced upheaval and a change of government in the past 18 months. The others include Georgia in 2003 and Kyrgyzstan, which had an uprising last week.
