Never underestimate the power of people craving open government and demanding honest elections. A little righteous indignation doesn’t hurt either.

Without committing any acts of violence, the people of Ukraine flatly rejected the results of the corrupt Nov. 21 presidential election and forced a new one. And it looks as if the people’s choice has been honestly reflected in the latest vote count. With nearly all ballots counted, reformer Viktor Yushchenko has a solid lead over Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

International monitors say the latest election was clean, so the results should withstand the challenges that Yanukovych says he’ll pursue. That’s a far cry from the verdict after the Nov. 21 vote. Though exit polls showed Yushchenko winning comfortably, Yanukovych was declared the winner.

To many Ukrainians those results didn’t ring true, so they poured into Kiev’s Independence Square and set up a tent city, vowing to remain until the election was overturned. The Orange Revolution was born. The sight of hundreds of thousands of people suffering through sub-zero temperatures to peacefully protest corruption has warmed hearts and minds around the globe.

Thirteen years ago, Ukraine separated from what was then the Soviet Union, but the principles of democracy have often been ignored. The government was known to rig elections, crack down on the media and hand out favors to the powerful few who controlled the nation’s major industries.

As prime minister, Yushchenko blew the whistle on government corruption, and that cost him his position in 2001. But his views were popular, which explains why the government tried to steal this year’s election for its hand-picked candidate.

An international body of observers confirmed what was widely rumored about the Nov. 21 election. Buses loaded with Yanukovych voters were driven around the eastern part of the country, where passengers voted multiple times. Observers also say that absentee ballots were either altered or surreptitiously swapped by government officials. And somebody poisoned Yushchenko with a huge dose of dioxin, which has left his face horribly disfigured.

In the past, such tactics would’ve worked, but just like the brave citizens of many Eastern European nations that were held under the thumb of communism, Ukrainians had finally had enough. The election of Yushchenko signals a desire for a more Westernized nation. Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t pleased with the results and neither are about 44 percent of Ukrainians, most of whom reside in the east and have a strong connection to Russia.

Change is scary, and defenders of the old ways will continue to try to hang onto power. But the Ukrainian election shows that violence, secrecy and corruption are no match for peaceful people working for a just cause.