Ukraine orders partial vote re-run
Ukraine’s outgoing parliament has ordered a partial re-run of voting in five disputed districts despite claims by the opposition that it won those seats.
A nonbinding resolution was passed by parliament Tuesday after a call by the Central Election Commission declaring that the vote tally violated Ukrainian law and the country’s constitution.
The opposition accuses authorities of falsifying results in 13 districts across the country.
Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk says opposition parties are not supporting the idea of a re-vote in the five disputed districts because they already won. He spoke at an opposition rally outside the Central Election Commission building.
“We demand from the Central Election Commission to count the votes and recognize our candidates as winners. They will not take victory away from us.”
Western observers called the election unfair because President Viktor Yanukovych’s main rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, is imprisoned and unable to run. Observers also criticized a lack of transparency in the vote count.
The final election results have not yet been announced, but Mr. Yanukovych’s Party of Regions and its allies are expected to win a clear majority of the seats in parliament.
Three opposition parties made a strong showing in the proportional voting that chooses half of parliament’s 450 seats. An opposition boycott could deprive the legislature of its mandatory quorum of lawmakers.
Source: VOANews.com
(Photo of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, by Jurij Skoblenko via flickr.com)
