Ukraine Election Prompts Angry Protests

KIEV, Ukraine - Tens of thousands of demonstrators jammed downtown Kiev in freezing temperatures Monday night, denouncing Ukraine's presidential runoff election as fraudulent and chanting the name of their reformist candidate who authorities said was trailing in the vote count.

Viktor Yushchenko stood beaming on a platform with campaign aides and flashed a "V" for victory sign — even though the Central Election Commission said earlier that with nearly all the votes counted, he was losing to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

"Yushchenko — our president!" chanted the crowd, many of whom waved orange scarves — his campaign color. Others had set up a tent camp along central Khreshchatyk street.

The election commission's announcement galvanized widespread dismay and anger among the former Soviet republic's 48 million people. The capital's city council and several other municipal governments rejected the official results and a major chocolate factory closed plants in protest.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) sent a statement to Yanukovych to congratulate him on the result, Russian news agencies reported, but a group of international observers described Sunday's balloting as severely flawed.

In Washington, the State Department called on Ukraine's government to investigate the allegations of fraud or risk a changed relationship with the United States.

Echoing criticism by the European Union (news - web sites), the Organization for Security and Cooperation (news - web sites), Freedom House and others, spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States was deeply concerned and called on Ukrainian authorities "to act to ensure an outcome that reflects the will of the Ukrainian people."

The State Department is not calling for new elections and it is not too late to address concerns, but "quick action on the part of the government of Ukraine is required," Ereli said

Otherwise, he said, "we would consider the results tarnished and would have to consider what responses in the relationship would be appropriate."

Some demonstrators in Kiev waved large Georgian flags, echoing the mass protests a year ago that drove President Eduard Shevardnadze from office in that former Soviet republic after a fraudulent parliamentary election.

"We will not leave this place until we win," Yushchenko said. "The people's will cannot be broken. People's votes cannot be stolen."

As protesters milled outside the capital's city council building, its members inside passed a resolution calling on the national parliament to not recognize the election results.

If the parliament doesn't take action to solve the crisis, "we will have no choice but to block roads, airports, seize city halls," said Yuliya Tymoshenko, a Yushchenko ally who has been one of the most visible opposition figures, noted for her elaborately braided blond hair.

Yushchenko told the crowd that police were believed to be preparing to break up the gathering.

Four other sizable cities — Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk — announced they recognized Yushchenko as president, news agencies reported. Some 20,000 protesters rallied in Lviv, Yushchenko's western stronghold region.

The Roshen company, a major chocolate producer, announced it would close its factories for a week in protest, the Unian news agency said. If industrial protests spread, the economic growth that has been one of the struggling country's few recent points of pride could be undermined.

Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), the visiting chairman of the Senate's foreign relations committee, said outgoing President Leonid Kuchma "has both the responsibility and the opportunity to review all of this and take decisive action in the best interests of the country."

Lugar did not make specific suggestions and it was not immediately clear what Kuchma and the authorities might do to defuse the sharply rising anger.

European Union officials also urged Ukrainian authorities to "urgently" review the results, saying the election had "clearly fallen short" of international standards.

Yanukovych, in televised comments, called for national unity and criticized the call for public protests. "This small group of radicals has taken upon itself the goal of splitting Ukraine," he said.

Although official results, with more than 99 percent of precincts counted, showed Yanukovych with 49.42 percent to 46.70 percent for Yushchenko, several exit polls had found Yushchenko the winner.

Observers working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said there were extensive indications of vote fraud, including people apparently voting multiple times and voters being forced to turn over absentee ballots to state employers.

The observers rated the voting as more flawed than the Oct. 31 first round. "The abuse of state resources in favor of the prime minister continued, as well as an overwhelming media bias in his favor," said mission leader Bruce George.

"It is now apparent that a concerted and forceful program of election-day fraud and abuse was enacted with either the leadership or cooperation of governmental authorities," said Lugar, who came to Kiev as President Bush (news - web sites)'s envoy.

In contrast, the Russian head of an observer mission from former Soviet republics, Vladimir Rushailo, declared the voting "transparent, legitimate and free," according to the Interfax news agency.

Russian authorities, including Putin, had strongly praised Yanukovych during the campaign, and the nascent uprising in favor of Yushchenko is likely an embarrassment to the Kremlin as it tries to reassert influence in the ex-Soviet sphere.

The election was seen as determining whether Ukraine tilts toward the West or its traditional patron, Russia.

Yushchenko said that in addition to the tent camp in Kiev, the opposition would demand an emergency parliamentary session; reports said the session was expected Tuesday.

U.S. Calls on Ukraine to Probe Election

By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON - The State Department called on the government of Ukraine Monday to investigate allegations of fraud in its presidential elections or risk a changed relationship with the United States.

Echoing criticism by the European Union (news - web sites), the Organization for Security and Cooperation (news - web sites), Freedom House and others, spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States was deeply concerned and called on Ukrainian authorities "to act to ensure an outcome that reflects the will of the Ukrainian people."

The State Department is not calling for new elections and it is not too late to address concerns, but "quick action on the part of the government of Ukraine is required," Ereli said

Otherwise, he said, "we would consider the results tarnished and would have to consider what responses in the relationship would be appropriate."

In Ukraine, announcement by the elections commission that Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych was ahead of reformist candidate Viktor Yushchenko with nearly all the votes counted evoked widespread dismay and anger among the former Soviet republic's 48 million people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) sent a statement to Yanukovych late Monday to congratulate him on the result, Russian news agencies reported, but a group of international observers described Sunday's balloting as severely flawed.

Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., chairman of the U.S. Senate's foreign relations committee, said in Kiev there had been "a concerted and forceful program of election-day fraud and abuse." He called on outgoing President Leonid Kuchma "to view all of this and take decisive action in the best interests of the country."

Ereli said he did not have any comment on Russian activities, nor did he say what action the United States might take against Ukraine.

However, Anders Aslund, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said "the election was stolen" and that Russia had done whatever it could in behalf of Yanukovych, including two visits by Putin, who campaigned for him.

"It was stolen," Aslund said of the election. Exit polls suggest Yushchenko would have won by 11 percent, he said. "This is very serious," the director of Carnegie"s Eurasian program said in an interview.

"I don't think this will work," he said. "I think it is good that the West is protesting."

The Texas-sized country of 47 million is one of the biggest recipients of U.S. assistance. The State Department has openly offered to help Ukraine join European institutions if the elections met international standards.

Ukraine is a staunch supporter of the U.S. campaign against insurgents in Iraq (news - web sites). It has contributed 1,600 troops to the U.S.-led coalition.

"Obviously, passions are running high," Ereli said. "The United States, in Ukraine as elsewhere, is a passionate supporter of the right of people to express their opinions freely and peacefully." he said.

"It is our position that the will of the people in these elections needs to be respected and the process needs to be peaceful," the U.S. official said.

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