A wish and a prayer for the Ukrainian democrats, please

"I will never admit defeat," Yanukovych said

Quote:

"I will never admit defeat," Yanukovych said

Sounds eerily familiar. Is it okay if I call him a scumbag?

Today the Supreme Court of Ukraine dismissed without consideration the first complaint of Yanukovych (in total, they seem to be four).

The first knock-down for Yanukovych from the Supreme Court

Today the Supreme Court of Ukraine dismissed without consideration the first complaint of Yanukovych (in total, they seem to be four).

This was reported by the chief of the press service of the Supreme Court, Liana Shlaposhnikova.

Election commission rejects Yanukovych appeal

CTV.ca News Staff

Both the Ukrainian Supreme Court and the country's Central Election Commission have rejected complaints filed by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych over last Sunday's presidential runoff election.

The Supreme Court rejected found complaints filed by Yanukovych's team over alleged voting irregularities, refusing to even consider two of them.

"Two complaints were not considered because the proper time frame for submitting them was not respected," spokeswoman Liana Shlyaposhnikova said. "One was turned down because the demands submitted by the plaintiff were not clearly drawn up."

The Central Election Commission soon followed suit, dismissing Yanukovych's 27 volumes of complaints. He alleged that thousands of eligible voters, mainly disabled and sick, were blocked from casting their ballots.

"The Central Election Commission rules that the complaint by presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych on irregularities ahead of voting will not be considered. The other parts of the complaint are also rejected," deputy CEC head Maryna Stavniychuk said. All 15 members backed the decision.

Now that the Supreme Court has rejected all of Yanukovych's complaints, they are cleared to declare Yushchenko the winner of the latest vote.

Yanukovych has been refusing to accept the results of the runoff vote in which pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko scored a solid majority victory of more than two million votes.

Yanukovych has vowed to never concede defeat and is expected to continue to challenge the result, despite Thursday's developments.

Despite Yanukovych's protest, there were few reports of fraud in Sunday's voting, in sharp contrast to criticism over November's runoff vote.

But Yanukovych refuses to step down. He has dismissed a Dec. 1 parliamentary vote of no confidence which gives him a maximum of 60 days to resign.

"It is a matter of my principle not to submit a resignation," Yanukovych told reporters. "I know why they insist on that ... they are shivering with fear."
Ukrainian media reports Viktor Yanukovych may take a leave of absence, but the pro-Russian prime minister's team denies it, saying he'll continue in his role.

But, when it comes to official government work, Yanukovych said his finance minister and deputy prime minister were "directly in charge."

Yanukovych had been declared the winner of a second-round presidential vote on Nov. 21. But, when hundreds of thousands of Yushchenko supporters claimed electoral fraud during mass protests, the country's Supreme Court invalidated the result.

On Wednesday, Yushchenko's ally Yulia Tymoshenko, known for her radical stance, travelled to the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Yanukovych's hometown. She answered a series of hostile questions during a live television interview.

There are reports that Yushchenko will offer Tymoshenko the prime minister's job in his government. But Yushchenko denied it, saying on TV5, "It's too early to begin with names."

Tymoshenko has gained a reputation as a politician who delivers fiery rhetoric. Observers say giving her the job might exacerbate tension between the two sides.

With files from the Associated Press

It's over.

Gotta feelin' this is just the end of the openin' game. The middle game is where it all happens. 'Bout all thats happened so far is both players have sacrificed a couple pawns to fully unmask their cardinal pieces. Remember - whatever shirt they're wearin', these players are at end Russians, and know and love chess. Stay tuned for further developments.

Gotta feelin' this is just the end of the openin' game. The middle game is where it all happens. 'Bout all thats happened so far is both players have sacrificed a couple pawns to fully unmask their cardinal pieces. Remember - whatever shirt they're wearin', these players are at end Russians, and know and love chess. Stay tuned for further developments.

White House Withholds Ukraine Recognition

Thursday January 6, 2005


WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is withholding recognition of pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko as Ukraine's new president until all complaints and challenges filed by his opponent are resolved by the country's central election commission.

Even after Ukraine's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected opponent Viktor Yanukovych's appeal of the run-off election Dec. 26 that Yushchenko carried, the State Department said it was not ready to recognize Yushchenko as the new president.

Despite the court's ruling, the election commission still has not certified final results, said the department's deputy spokesman, Adam Ereli. ``Until it does, we are really not in a position to comment on the final results of the election,'' Ereli said.