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    "Don't leave Independence Square until victory" - Viktor Yushchenko

    Ukraine gripped by poll turmoil

    Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have thronged major cities, protesting at an election result they consider flawed.

    Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko told supporters to stage a civil disobedience campaign.

    The cities of Kiev and Lviv refused to recognise the official victory for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

    While Russia accepted the result, a US observer alleged "concerted and forceful" fraud, and the EU called on Ukraine to review Sunday's election.

    "We are very concerned about the news we have had about the outcome," said Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, representing the EU.

    He said all 25 EU member states would be calling in Ukrainian ambassadors "to convey our message of serious concern".

    Moscow, which backed Prime Minister Yanukovych, recognised the election result.

    "I have congratulated Viktor Yanukovych for his victory," said President Vladimir Putin's personal envoy, Boris Gryzlov.

    Observers for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Sunday's run-off vote fell far short of European democratic norms.

    Mr Yushchenko, seen as the pro-Western candidate, told thousands of people who braved sub-zero temperatures in the capital, Kiev, not to leave the rally "until victory".

    "We are launching an organised movement of civil resistance," he said, denouncing what he called the "total falsification" of the vote which followed days of acrimonious wrangling over the results of the first round.

    'Media bias'

    Kiev city council refused to recognise the results, and urged parliament to follow suit.

    Thousands of people turned onto the streets in the western city of Lviv, where the city council said it would only take orders from Mr Yushchenko.

    The central electoral commission said with more than 99% of the vote counted, Mr Yanukovych had 49.4% while Mr Yushchenko had 46.7%.

    But the opposition says it has recorded many thousands of irregularities - including very high turnouts in government strongholds.

    Mr Yanukovych was backed by incumbent President Leonid Kuchma.

    Exit polls earlier suggested that Mr Yushchenko had been on course for victory with a lead of at least six percentage points.

    "The second round did not meet a considerable number of [international] commitments for democratic elections," said Bruce George, head of the OSCE mission in Kiev.

    The OSCE also reported serious irregularities in the first round.

    "The abuse of state resources in favour of the prime minister continued, as well as an overwhelming media bias in his favour," Mr George said.

    The group said Sunday's violations also included intimidation of observers and voters.

    The authorities are investigating the killing of a policeman who was guarding ballot papers in a village in central Ukraine. The motive for the killing is not known.

    Mr Yushchenko's supporters say they do not believe the official turnout figure of 96% in eastern Ukraine.

    "I believe in my victory but the government... has staged total fraud in the elections in the [eastern] Donetsk and Lugansk regions," Mr Yushchenko said.

    Kiev was on high alert, with extra police and soldiers on the streets, and riot vehicles outside the central electoral commission.

    During the campaign, Mr Yushchenko, prime minister between 1999 and 2001, claimed to have been the victim of intimidation and dirty tricks, including an alleged poisoning attempt.

    His critics portray him as an American puppet who will do anything to gain power, including inciting civil unrest.
    BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service



    Yushchenko was leading in the polls before the election, but now he seems to have lost. 96% turnout in the east - which is Yanukovych-land... Smells kinda fishy.

    I hope things won't get too ugly.
    CSPA

  • #2
    Yushchenko:

    Russian tentacles:

    Comment


    • #3
      Yeah, Putin has of course no problems with the result, despite all the mess surrounding the election and despite the OSCE, EU and US concerns.
      CSPA

      Comment


      • #4
        Once again Russia doing nastyness
        Que l’Univers n’est qu’un défaut dans la pureté de Non-être.

        - Paul Valery

        Comment


        • #5
          Hilarious- Putin supports the result which saw the candidate who favours greater/restored ties with Russia the winer.

          Who'd have guessed?
          Vive la liberte. Noor Inayat Khan, Dachau.

          ...patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone. Edith Cavell, 1915

          Comment


          • #6
            Even more hilarious: EU and US support the result which sees the candidate who favours goverment corruption and special deals to EU and US as a winner.

            Who would've have guessed, indeed.

            But oh wait... CNN says that Putin is an evil, evil man, so he's the one who must be lying. Right?

            Yushchenko was leading in the polls before the election, but now he seems to have lost.
            KERRY WAS LEADING IN THE POLLS TOO!

            Revolution in the US!



            ...

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by VJ
              KERRY WAS LEADING IN THE POLLS TOO!

              Revolution in the US!

              ...
              Wow, that was DEEP!
              Originally posted by Serb:Please, remind me, how exactly and when exactly, Russia bullied its neighbors?
              Originally posted by Ted Striker:Go Serb !
              Originally posted by Pekka:If it was possible to capture the essentials of Sepultura in a dildo, I'd attach it to a bicycle and ride it up your azzes.

              Comment


              • #8
                Have you seen the marks of failed assasination attempt on Yuschenkos face? Smells like KGB and Putin to me...and if they are willing to poison the candidate, rigging elections is no problem to them
                Que l’Univers n’est qu’un défaut dans la pureté de Non-être.

                - Paul Valery

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Saras


                  Wow, that was DEEP!
                  I think VJ is trying to be sane AND funny
                  Que l’Univers n’est qu’un défaut dans la pureté de Non-être.

                  - Paul Valery

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    yeah yeah yeah

                    Putin and the evil West aside - the election was obviously less than perfect and as a result, a lot of people are pissed off.

                    Look what happened in Georgia a year ago. I wouldn't know if the same could happen in Ukraine, but it started with a rigged election and pissed off people.
                    CSPA

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      And oh so delightfully contrarian! FIGHT THE PREVAILING FORUM OPINION, VJ!
                      "Spirit merges with matter to sanctify the universe. Matter transcends to return to spirit. The interchangeability of matter and spirit means the starlit magic of the outermost life of our universe becomes the soul-light magic of the innermost life of our self." - Dennis Kucinich, candidate for the U. S. presidency
                      "That’s the future of the Democratic Party: providing Republicans with a number of cute (but not that bright) comfort women." - Adam Yoshida, Canada's gift to the world

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        CONFORM AT ALL COSTS!@!!
                        Monkey!!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Wow, that was DEEP!
                          ...what?

                          Gangerolf is using the same argument as the hippies are now when Kerry in US has actually lost the election (both popular and electoral) : There must be some kind of conspiracy, some sinister force, which has manipulated the votes to create a win for the Evil Opposition.

                          Again, what?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Please don't compare me with hippies

                            Besides, my point was that it's funny that Putin rushes to congratulate his boy for his victory, while almost everyone else is pointing out that the elections were flawed as hell.

                            Russia is a member of the OSCE too, you know.
                            CSPA

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              KYIV, 22 November 2004 - The second round of the presidential election in Ukraine on 21 November did not meet a considerable number of OSCE commitments, Council of Europe and other European standards for democratic elections. As in the first round, state executive authorities and the Central Election Commission displayed a lack of will to conduct a genuine democratic election process, concluded the International Election Observation Mission in a preliminary statement released today.

                              Between the two rounds, the Mission reported cases of public sector employees and students being pressured to support the current Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Yanukovich. Nevertheless, a vibrant civil society demonstrated once again a high level of interest and engagement. Despite serious shortcomings in the process the second round of the election offered voters a choice, although campaign conditions were not equal.

                              "With an even heavier heart than three weeks ago, I have to repeat the message from the first round; this election did not meet a considerable number of international standards for democratic elections," said Mr. Bruce George, President emeritus of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Special Co-ordinator for the short-term observers. "The deficiencies have not been addressed. The abuse of state resources in favor of the Prime Minister continued, as well as an overwhelming media bias in his favor."
                              "The figures and reports about the unjustified increase in the use of absentee voter certificates and the even higher increase of mobile voting, cast a shadow over the genuineness of the results," said Mr. Lucio Malan, Head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation. "Moreover the turnout in some territorial election commissions in Donetsk, exceeding 98.5 per cent, and increasing by 21 per cent after the first round, are unrealistic and highly suspicious."

                              CSPA

                              Comment

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