Elections in Ukraine Invalid

[KipWellsFan]

KIEV - Ukraine's Supreme Court Friday ruled that the results from the country's Nov. 21 presidential runoff vote are invalid and that a second round of voting should occur on Dec. 26.

 

The short timeframe imposed by the court suggests it is ordering a new runoff vote, and not an entirely new election.

 

Tens of thousands of Yushchenko supporters gathered in Kiev's Independence Square cheered as the court announced its decision, a response to an appeal from Yushchenko.

 

The opposition candidate had asked the court to invalidate the results, alleging the vote was rigged in favour of his opponent, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

 

Both Yushchenko's camp and supporters of his opponent, Yanukovych, have appealed election results in different parts of the country. The country's electoral commission had earlier declared Yanukovych the winner.

 

The court hearings were broadcast, allowing Ukrainians to watch for the past four days as election officials were questioned about the process. That election process led to the declaration of victory for Yanukovych, who was supported by both outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

International observers have said there were widespread signs of vote-tampering, voter intimidation and rigged ballot counting.

 

Putin on Thursday criticized the idea of another runoff election.

 

During a meeting with outgoing President Leonid Kuchma in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said "a re-vote could be conducted a third, a fourth, 25th time, until one side gets the results it needs."

 

Kuchma had pushed for a new election, not just a runoff vote, in the apparent hope of fielding a more popular candidate than Yanukovych.

 

Kuchma called the suggestion of a new showdown between Yanukovych and Yushchenko "the easy option," something that would be "non-legitimate."

 

Supporters of the Western-leaning Yushchenko have accused Yanukovych's forces of rigging the election and have rallied in Kiev ever since, declaring the election result a fraud.

 

But Yanukovych has his supporters, too. In the east, in the heavily industrialized Donetsk region, support for him is strong.

 

Eastern Ukraine is Yanukovych's home region, and workers say he has done a lot to improve their lives.

 

In another development Friday, Ukraine's parliament voted unanimously to remove the country's 1,600 soldiers from peacekeeping duties in Iraq.

 

Kuchma had backed the continuing troop deployment, so the 257-0 vote to pull out the peacekeepers is seen as another sign that his influence is waning.

 

Both Yushchenko and Yanukovych had campaigned on promises to remove the troops.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200...urt-041203.html

 

Also interesting to hear Ukraine is pulling out of Iraq.