Saturday, November 27, 2004

UPDATED BREAKING NEWS IN THE UKRAINE

UPDATED...

The candidates in Ukraine’s disputed presidential election, after mediations that lasted nearly three hours Friday, agreed to set up a working group for further talks and declared the official poll results, which handed victory to pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, invalid. The sides agreed to act in accordance with an upcoming ruling from Ukraine’s Supreme Court on the alleged voting violations.“To oversee the negotiating process, the sides have created a working group to reach a joint decision to resolve the political crisis,” outgoing president Leonid Kuchma said in the Mariinsky presidential palace, Reuters reported. Both Yanukovich and liberal challenger Viktor Yushchenko had agreed to renounce violence, Kuchma was quoted by Reuters as saying. “The group is to start working immediately ... We will without any doubt find a worthy way out of this complicated situation. We understand that we have but one Ukraine and if we fail to find a solution, the consequences will be most unfavorable.”

The two rivals beamingly shook hands at the end of the talks. After the meeting, which included mediators from Europe and Russia, Yushchenko announced to the thousands of demonstrators rallying for the fifth day on Kiev’s Independence Square that the results have been declared invalid after the talks, and that a new round of elections would be held, monitored by the OSCE, the Russian Information Agency Novosti reported. “The sides agreed that that the results of the second round that were announced earlier do not correspond to the will of the people and must be cancelled,” Novosti quoted Yushchenko as saying.

UPDATE: This news story seems to contradict the above, saying NO DEAL has been reached! BUT....... THIS POST from, Le Sabot Post-Modene, seems to WANT to confirm elements of it - but so far can only relay it as a rumor, with caveats. STAY TUNED!

UPDATE: "Reuters": UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT TO MEET SATURDAY TO DEBATE THE ELECTION... "We are counting on parliament to give its political assessment of the Central Election Commission," Yushchenko told a vast crowd assembled in Kiev's Independence Square for the fifth day. All groups backed the sitting, except Yanukovich's Regions of Ukraine party. A similar debate this week was closed amid pandemonium as Yushchenko symbolically took the oath of office. "

UPDATE 11/27 - UK Telegraph: Ukrainian Parliament Declares the Election Invalid... Most observers say this is largely symbolic - the Supreme Court will be final, though... stay tuned - they meet on Monday...

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