Yanukovich leads in Ukraine with half votes counted

[Judi Lynn]

Yanukovich leads in Ukraine with half votes counted
Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:21 PM ET

KIEV (Reuters) - Viktor Yanukovich's Russia-backed Regions Party is leading in Ukraine's parliamentary poll with 27.38 percent after half of votes cast had been counted, official figures showed on Monday.

Pro-Western firebrand Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc was maintaining its strong showing with 23.41 percent, while President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party was lagging with 16.30 percent
(snip/)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-27T182034Z_01_L27750379_RTRUKOC_0_US-UKRAINE-RESULTS-HALFWAY.xml&archived=False

[MisterP]

1. will the Pryshchyk rule by decree like he apparently threatened?

[daleo]

2. I thought he was in the mid thirties yesterday

It could be interesting to see how the counting progresses.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Observers Hail Ukraine Election (Voice of America News)

Observers Hail Ukraine Election
By Lisa McAdams
Kiev
27 March 2006

International election observers overseeing Sunday's vote in Ukraine have hailed the exercise as a further consolidation of the country's democratic gains. The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the main western election watchdog, says the vote had few of the problems witnessed during Ukraine's fraud-plagued presidential vote in 2004.

The International Election Observation Mission says Ukraine soundly demonstrated its commitment to democratic reform with Sunday's elections for parliament, regional councils and local mayors.

In a preliminary statement, the group said Sunday's vote was "free and fair."

Congressman Alcee Hastings, who served as the OSCE's president of short-term observers in Kiev, says the real winner of Sunday's vote is the Ukrainian people. "{Overall} fundamental and political rights were respected," he said. "This enabled voters to make informed choices between distinct alternatives and to express their will in a free and fair manner."
(snip/...)

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-03-27-voa31.cfm