Posted on 11/25/2004 8:28:47 AM PST by anonymoussierra
The Ukrainian opposition has taken its case to the Supreme Court as foreign leaders are asked to help resolve the bitter presidential election dispute. Liberal opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko called for a general strike after election officials declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner.
Thousands of opposition supporters are protesting for a fourth day in sub-zero cold in the capital, Kiev.
The Polish and Lithuanian presidents have been asked to mediate.
Former Polish President Lech Walesa has already gone to Kiev to help resolve the crisis.
A staunch Yushchenko supporter, he said on Thursday it was "possible to arrive at a compromise".
Click here to see a regional breakdown of the official results Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma - who backs Mr Yanukovych - asked both Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland to mediate "in solving the political conflict", the Lithuanian presidency said.
Mr Adamkus, a former US citizen, returned to Lithuania after it gained independence.
Legal challenge
Mr Yushchenko's supporters say the authorities were guilty of massive fraud in Sunday's election.
"Today we filed a complaint to the Supreme Court over the actions of the Central Electoral Commission [CEC}," an official at Mr Yushchenko's headquarters said.
President Kuchma has warned that civil war "could well become a reality".
Mr Walesa and other figures of Poland's anti-communist movement say they want to help Mr Yushchenko because they remember how much Western support helped them in the 1980s.
EU-Russia tensions
Ukraine's crisis overshadowed an EU-Russia summit at The Hague on Thursday, after the two sides adopted strikingly different stances on the election.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who congratulated Mr Yanukovych even before the official result was announced, said the Ukraine crisis should be solved through the courts.
The EU and Russian leaders called for a "peaceful approach" to solving the crisis.
The EU, along with the US and Canada, has condemned the 21 November election as fraudulent and called for it to be reviewed.
Riot police have been on stand-by since the demonstrations began but there have been no reports of violence.
A number of pro-government supporters were also visible in Kiev for the first time on Wednesday, though eastern Ukraine saw pro-government rallies earlier in the week.
The CEC on Wednesday declared Mr Yanukovych as president, saying he had won 49.46% of the vote against Mr Yushchenko's 46.61%.
Shutting down Ukraine
The pro-Western Mr Yushchenko immediately rejected the commission's declaration as the "latest crime" of the Ukrainian authorities.
The nationwide strike aims to shut factories, shops and schools and paralyse Ukraine's major transportation arteries.
Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reports major traffic jams on Ukraine's western border, as several main roads have been blocked with fallen trees and barricades.
Opposition leaders addressing the rally in Kiev said several factories, universities and the union of theatre employees had joined the strike.
They also said the Kiev prosecutor's office was "with" them and that the orange opposition flag had appeared on the national bank building.
But coalminers in the mainly Russian-speaking east of the country, where Mr Yanukovych's strength lies, have vowed to work on.
Some analysts say the planned stoppage could further divide the country. Mr Yushchenko draws his support mainly from the predominantly Ukrainian-speaking western and central regions.
Washington's warning
In Washington, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Ukraine was at a "critical moment" and had to decide whether it was on the side of democracy.
Mr Powell warned the government in Kiev of "consequences" for the US-Ukraine relationship.
The new head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, also warned Ukraine there could be "consequences" for its relations with the European Union, unless there was a serious and independent review.
Western election observers and the Ukrainian opposition reported thousands of voting irregularities.
How can this be? I thought he was the mad dictator sending tanks and takeover equipment last night.
Thank you Putin I do not like that person Moskwa will not atack Ukraine Putin do know that is not good Ukraincy perons will atack!!!
When I clicked on that it was all in russian.
I sesriously doubt that Putin has control over the courts in Ukraine. But then according to some here Putin has more power than all the other world leaders put together. LOL. He's just a man, not a superhuman.
"I can guarantee you Putin will do his best not to harm Walesa, if he did their would be a world wide outrage, these guys(the poles) may do some good, if the courts aren't already rigged. If Putin wants to sort the thing out in court IMHO the courts may already be rigged in their favor." Thank you Putin do know if my country persons and Ukraincy persons fight Moskwa will have problem big problem we fight fight good!!
Thank you that is polish my country
Ping
It looks like he had enough power to get the election rigged.
YOU are welcome, best of luck.
Oh right. He's superman himself. There is no other human in the world who can act without the masterminding of Putin.
Fear must do that to people, make others into superhumans.
I hope this works out for the best. If Freepers are to be believed, and they usually are, Yanuhovych is the corrupt candidate of Putin and Yushchencko is the socialist NWO candidate of George Soros.
It doesn't sound like much of a choice.
Thank you
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