Ukraine opposition calls for new poll as EU warns Kiev (24/11/2004)
KIEV (AFP) Ukraine's opposition called for a new round of presidential elections to resolve the political crisis gripping the nation, as European leaders, alleging fraud, warned of "consequences" if the poll was not reviewed.
As Ukrainians waited for the central election commission to announce final results of Sunday's run-off ballot, Viktor Yushchenko said the opposition was ready to contest a fresh vote.
"We are ready again to hold a second round if there is no outside pressure," he told tens of thousands of demonstrators in central Kiev joining a third day of mass street protests.
The opposition charges that the government helped rig the poll in favour of pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and to rob Yushchenko, who is seen as pro-Western and willing to ally Ukraine with the European Union and NATO.
The European Union stepped up criticism of a poll marred by what it called "massive fraud," urging Ukraine to delay the final election results pending a review.
The Dutch EU presidency and President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland both said they were sending special envoys to Ukraine in view of the situation.
By latest counts at 1100 GMT Wednesday, Yanukovich won 49.54 percent of the vote compared to 46.66 percent for Yushchenko, a spokeswoman for the election commission told AFP.
With security forces guarding the presidency, President Leonid Kuchma, who had hand-picked Yanukovich as his successor, said he had ruled out the use of force.
"As acting president, I categorically reject the use of any kind of force," Interfax quoted him as telling a government meeting.
In a day of fast-moving developments, Yushchenko accused the government of planning to quell the protests by force and urged law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint and "prevent a tragedy."
The standoff looked set to continue, with a spokesman for Yushchenko saying there could be no negotiations unless authorities "recognise that the results of the vote were falsified."
"I want to tell you that we will not hold negotiations with Yanukovich and the people who surround him," said Mykola Tomenko, a close aide.
Most independent exit polls Sunday gave victory to Yushchenko, but some of those commissioned by Yanukovich's team showed the premier as the winner.
The premier was quoted by ITAR-TASS as telling a cabinet meeting he was "a law-abiding man" who would recognise defeat "only on the basis of a legitimate ruling" from the election commission.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Olexander Kuzmuk urged the army to "remain calm, act in a measured way and fulfill your constitutional duty in keeping with the law."
He insisted the vote was "in conformity with the law" and denied tanks and troops were being moved into position in the capital Kiev.
European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso warned of "consequences" for the bloc's relations with Ukraine because of the impasse, now overshadowing a summit Thursday with Russia in The Hague.
"We regret that the Ukrainian authorities have not taken the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy," he said.
"There will be consequences, if there is not a serious, objective review," he added, declining to be more specific.
The crisis has put Russia at loggerheads with Europe and the United States as Moscow tries to keep control over the most populous of the former Soviet Union's republics after Russia.
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to voice the alliance's "disappointment and deep concern over the current events," and called for all disputes related to the poll results "to be fully examined."
In Washington the State Department took the unusual move of calling in the Russian ambassador for an interview to express US concerns over the Ukrainian vote.
In the face of mass protests and international reaction, even Yanukovich's main international backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, has backtracked after initially recognising his win.
The opposition sees this as perhaps its best chance in a generation to pull the nation of 48 million people out of Russia's grasp.
The vote has polarized the country into clearly defined Ukrainian-speaking western regions supporting Yushchenko and eastern Russian-speaking districts which back the prime minister.
The graphic divide has prompted some politicians to warn that Ukraine might split in two, with more than 150 Ukrainian diplomats posted around the world recognising Yushchenko as the new president.
Yushchenko declared himself president on Tuesday in a symbolic ceremony in parliament attended only by his supporters, a move Kuchma branded a "political farce."
Pope John Paul II told Ukrainian pilgrims he was praying for them.
"I assure you and all the Ukrainian people that I am praying particularly for your very dear country in recent days," the radio quoted the 84-year-old Polish-born pope as saying in the Vatican.
