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Foreign observers accuse Ukrainian government of electoral fraud
The European Union says Sunday's run-off presidential election in Ukraine did not meet democratic standards and has asked Kiev to review the election results. The senior United States observer of the elections, Senator Richard Lugar, has accused the Ukrainian government of rigging the elections in favour of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.
With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, the official results give the Russian-leaning prime minister more than 49 percent of the vote, compared to over 46 percent for his pro-Western challenger, Viktor Yushchencko. However exit polls had shown that Mr Yushchencko was in the lead.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have taken to the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev to claim victory in the presidential election. The opposition candidate has called for a campaign of civil disobedience in protest against what he says is massive electoral fraud by the government. Two cities in western Ukraine, a region dominated by the opposition, have refused to recognise the official results. They say they recognise Mr Yushchencko as the new prime minister.
(rnw.nl)
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