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Yushchenko successfully disputed the result of the November 21
election.(Agencies) | Ukraine's Central
Election Commission has declared Western-leaning reformer Viktor
Yushchenko the winner of the presidential election over Kremlin-favored
Viktor Yanukovych.
The commission announced that the final official
tally of the December 26 voting -- which was a rerun of the November 21
election that was annulled amid allegations of massive fraud
-- showed Yushchenko with 51.99
percent of the votes and Yanukovych with 44.2 percent.
Yanukovych, who stepped down as prime minister
last week, had been declared the winner of the November 21 election, and
he has vowed to use all possible legal avenues to overturn
the revote.
The Supreme Court earlier Monday rejected eight complaints by
Yanukovych's campaign.
The elections commission's statement must now be
accepted by the High Court and published in two official gazettes
before Yushchenko could be
inaugurated.
That could leave Yanukovych's camp a window for filing more legal
actions.
Earlier Monday, Yanukovych's campaign manager Taras Chornovyl said a
massive legal action consisting of some 500 volumes was being prepared to
prove widespread fraud in last month's revote.
But the elections commission's announcement and the High Court
rejection of previous Yanukovych appeals appeared to give him little hope
of a last-minute turnaround, which had worked for Yushchenko.
After hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into downtown Kiev to
denounce the November 21 vote, Yushchenko filed appeals with the Supreme
Court.
Although the elections commission had declared Yanukovych the winner,
the court prohibited official publication of the results pending
resolution of the appeal and it eventually declared the vote invalid.
International elections observers had harshly criticized the November
21 election as a step backward for the ex-Soviet republic, noting
widespread incidents of multiple voting, and complaining of intense bias
against Yushchenko by state-run and -influenced TV stations.
The protesters built and enormous tent camp on Kiev's main avenue and
have remained there since, although their numbers have fallen in recent
weeks as Yushchenko's prospects appeared to improve.
However, fearing an 11th-hour change, some have vowed to remain until
Yushchenko is inaugurated.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-01-11 09:45