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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Eve Of New Vote: New Ukraine Twist |
| 2004-12-26 |
| On the eve of Ukraine's hotly contested presidential vote, the nation's highest court on Saturday threw out some of the election law changes aimed at battling fraud, a possible setback for opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. The Constitutional Court ruling poses a last-minute logistical challenge to election officials and could provide grounds for a protracted dispute over the results of the vote -- a repeat of a November vote that was thrown out because of fraud. The ruling came as Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych took a legally required day off from campaigning before Sunday's vote, and some 12,000 international observers -- the largest election monitoring mission ever launched -- fanned out across the country. Sunday's vote marks the culmination of a month of upheaval in Ukraine, marked by huge protests in the streets of Kiev by Yushchenko supporters; a Supreme Court ruling that voided Yanukovych's victory in the Nov. 21 vote; tension between Russia -- which backs Yanukovych -- and the West, and revelations that Yushchenko, a pro-Western reformer, was poisoned by dioxin. Saturday's court decision brought a new twist in the final hours before polls open. The court ruled that amendments allowing people with only certain disabilities to vote at home were unconstitutional, and it ordered that all who were unable to reach polling stations because of a disability or ill health be allowed to vote at home. Saturday's ruling could benefit Yanukovych, who pushed for the restrictions to be lifted, saying they would deprive millions of their right to vote. However, it could also throw an unexpected monkey wrench into his campaign team's announced plans to help disabled voters reach polling stations. They are considered a key source of backing of Yanukovych because the prime minister raised pensions during his two years in office.... Nope. No shenanigans this time. |
| Posted by:.com |