Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004
A 'coup' in Ukraine
By Vladimir Radyuhin
[COMING OUT IN FORCE: Thousands of demonstrators gather in the main street of the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Tuesday to protest alleged fraud in the presidential elections and to support the Opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. - AP]
MOSCOW, NOV. 23. The post-election crisis in Ukraine spun out of control today as the Opposition leader proclaimed himself President while his supporters stormed Parliament building.
Mr. Viktor Yushchenko declared victory in Ukraine's presidential election even though the official count showed him losing Sunday's presidential poll to the Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovich. Mr. Yushchenko took an oath on a 300-year Bible in Parliament on Tuesday cheered by Opposition deputies. The news has spurred supporters of Mr. Yushchenko to break through police barriers and storm the Parliament building. About 100,000 demonstrators have been rallying in the capital Kiev protesting what they called massive cheating in Sunday's vote.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who had earlier congratulated Mr. Yanukovich, called on all sides in Ukraine to refrain from violence. Speaking from Lisbon where he is on an official visit, Mr. Putin said it was only the Election Commission that can declare the winner in Ukraine's election. With all but half a percentage of the votes counted, the Prime Minister, Mr. Yanukovich, is almost three per cent ahead of Mr. Yushchenko.
Speaker warns of strife
The Ukrainian Parliament Speaker, Vladimir Litvin, on Tuesday warned of a "large-scale civil conflict" in the country in the wake of the controversial presidential poll. Opening an emergency session of the Verhovna Rada [Parliament], Mr. Litvin said Ukraine was "fast slipping towards an uncontrollable mass conflict with unpredictable results," as about 100,000 Opposition supporters filled the capital, Kiev, to protest the victory of Mr. Yanukovich, in Sunday's presidential election.
Official ballot counts showed that Mr. Yanukovich was almost 3 per cent ahead of the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko, with 99.38 per cent of polling stations reporting. However, Mr. Yushchenko alleged the voting had been rigged and called for an emergency meeting of Parliament to express no-confidence to the Central Election Commission.
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu.