Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Ukraine Parliament Calls Election Invalid

Updated 9:51 AM ET November 27, 2004

Ukraine's parliament on Saturday declared invalid the disputed presidential election that triggered a week of growing street protests and legal maneuvers, raising the possibility that a new vote could be held in this former Soviet republic.

Parliament's vote came amid a flurry of domestic and international support for the possibility of a revote. A European Union envoy Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot said new elections were the "ideal outcome" for the standoff between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko. Asked if new elections were the only solution, Ben Bot answered: "Yes."

The Unian news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko as saying Friday that Moscow regarded a potential revote favorably an apparent significant retreat from its earlier insistence that the Nov. 21 elections were fair and valid.

Parliament's move was not legally binding but clearly demonstrated rising dissatisfaction with the announced outcome. The United States and other Western nations contend the vote was marred by massive fraud.

The presidential election was won by the Russia-backed Yanukovych, according to the Central Elections Commission, but Yushchenko's supporters streamed into the streets, claiming he was cheated out of victory. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal by Yushchenko's supporters on Monday, and Yanukovych will not be inaugurated before that appeal is decided.

Regional courts also are considering some 11,000 complaints from both sides about alleged voting fraud.

"The most realistic political decision, taking into account the mutual claims of massive violations, is to pronounce the elections invalid," parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said.

Parliament's decision is not binding without President Leonid Kuchma's endorsement. The vote came as negotiators from both candidates' camps were expected to meet for talks in a format worked out with European envoys a day earlier.

Also, parliament Saturday passed a vote of no confidence in the elections commission, which also has no legal ramifications but steps up pressure on Yanukovych and his supporters.



http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=041127&cat=frontpage&st=frontpageap200411...