KIEV, 28 November 2004 — Ukraine’s Parliament yesterday declared the country’s disputed presidential election invalid in a symbolic vote after a week of growing street protests and allegations of vote fraud, adding momentum to demands for a revote.
The action — approved by 255 of the 429 legislators present — was not legally binding, but it was a clear demonstration of rising dissatisfaction with the standoff between Russian-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and Viktor Yushchenko.
The legislators also passed a vote of no confidence in the Central Elections Commission, which said Yanukovich won the Nov. 21 presidential election.
The no-confidence vote also had no legal force, but it increases pressure on Yanukovich and his camp.
Yushchenko, whose supporters took to the streets in massive protests, has demanded a repeat election, and international support for a revote has been growing.
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, speaking for the European Union, said new elections were the “ideal outcome.” Asked if new elections were the only solution, Bot answered: “Yes.”
The Unian news agency, citing Russia’s RIA-Novosti, quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko as saying Friday that Moscow regarded a potential revote favorably — an apparently significant retreat from its earlier insistence that the Nov. 21 elections were fair and valid.
The United States and other Western nations contend the vote was marred by massive fraud. Negotiators from both camps were expected to meet for talks yesterday as part of a working-party established by President Leonid Kuchma in consultation with European envoys on Friday.
Ukraine’s Parliament has no legal capacity to directly affect the election results. But Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said, “The most realistic political decision, taking into account the mutual claims of massive violations, is to pronounce the elections invalid.”
“The Central Election Commission discredited itself in the first round, undermining public trust in the institution as it is,” Lytvyn said.
Outside the Parliament building, more than 7,000 opposition protesters encircled the building, chanting “Yushchenko!” Police stood near the building’s entrances and watched. Prospects for a resolution of the crisis by the working group, made up of four people from each campaign, appeared slim.
Yushchenko told his supporters he was insisting on a new election by Dec. 12 and he would give the talks with his rival two days at most to yield results.
Yanukovich aide Stepan Havrysh, who was to participate on behalf of the prime minister, said he thought it might be possible to reach an agreement within two days.
“Kuchma and Yanukovich want to drag out time,” Ivan Plyushch, one of four Yushchenko supporters who were to participate in the working group, told The Associated Press. “But if in the next two days the situation doesn’t develop, we’ll return to active measures.” Plyushch refused to elaborate.
Havrysh said the prime minister’s team would make no further comments until the working group had reached a decision.
Yushchenko has also demanded that the membership of the Central Election Commission be changed, absentee balloting be prohibited, the candidates be given equal access to the media and that international observers participate.
