In both these 2004 elections the results do look oddly similar - in both cases the exit polls gave victory to the challenger, but the published voting figures put the Administration's man ahead by the same margin - three per cent.

Some of the allegations of cheating look pretty similar too. The big difference is that in Ukraine the one who was given as loser refused to accept the result, and denounced it as fraudulent, and spearheaded mass protests by his supporters, and anyone else who disliked the existing Administration.

Which is a pretty high risk strategy which could lead to a real, not just metaphorical, Civil War. I imagine that is why neither Gore in 2000, or Kerry in 2004, chose to take it.