04/02/2002 | Rost

U.S. unhappy at Ukraine elections
April 2, 2002 Posted: 4:28 AM EST (0928 GMT)

KIEV, Ukraine -- While reformists cried "foul," the United States criticised Ukrainian authorities for their conduct in parliamentary elections.

But Washington stopped short of ruling the polls, which will most likely result in a hung parliament, as unfair.

"We are disappointed that the government of Ukraine did not move in a proactive manner to ensure a level playing field for all political parties," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in a statement.

"We are particularly disappointed that officials did not take steps to curb the widespread and open abuse of authority, including the use of government positions and facilities, to the unfair advantage of certain parties," he added.

Pro-Western former prime minister Viktor Yushchenko, who claimed victory on Sunday when exit polls gave him a 15 point lead over forces supporting President Leonid Kuchma, said authorities falsified the count against him by as much as 8 to 12 percent and threatened a court challenge.

With nearly 100 percent of the vote counted, results gave Yushchenko's party about 23 percent of the vote, the Communist Party had 20 percent and the party backing Kuchma, For United Ukraine, had about 12 percent, the election commission said.

But these results account for only half the 450 deputies in parliament. The other 225 are elected directly from single-member constituencies, where business barons and regional leaders largely loyal to Kuchma hold sway.

The likely outcome is a hung parliament with the For United Ukraine party seeking the support of independents to secure a pro-Kuchma majority over the reformists in key votes.

The Communists saw their support eroded, but they are likely to hold the balance of power.

Kuchma departed on holiday to the country's Crimea region after the results were declared.

Before he went he praised the outcome and said he looked forward to working constructively with whatever coalition was formed.

The U.S.'s Reeker said Washington concurred with a preliminary statement by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that the election marked progress compared to the 1998 parliamentary vote, given that a new election law had been approved.

But he noted the OSCE's words that "important flaws persist" and gave U.S. backing to its plan for a follow-up mission to rule on whether the elections met democratic standards.

The United States has offered massive support to the Eastern European country it apparently sees as a buffer to Russian muscle in the post-Soviet world.

Election commission chairman Mykhailo Riabets said there were minor voting irregularities that he insisted would not affect the overall results.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/02/ukraine.election/index.html