Ukrainian opposition rallies to straighten election vote count
More than a week into the vote count after the October 28 parliamentary election, opposition parties gathered a rally in Kyiv to protest alleged fraud and pressure the Central Election Commission to right the wrongs at the most troublesome constituencies.
The rally, as well as the opposition’s threat to not recognize the election because of mass vote tampering, and reject their mandates in the new parliament, are a part of a campaign to reign in vote counting and tallying in 12 constituencies, where fistfights, tear gas, questionable court orders and special police units have been a part of the drama.
Around 1000 people carrying flags of all three opposition parties, Batkivschyna, UDAR and Svoboda filled the square in front of the CEC, according to police estimates from Berkut, the special police unit whose uniformed guards were also bused in. They had to share the square with market traders, who have been ordered in the past few months by the local administration to come here to sell fruit, fresh meats, honey and other foodstuffs.
Read the full story at The Kyiv Post.
(Photo: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, oscepa/flickr.com)
