Appeal delays Ukraine election declaration
Viktor Yanukovych, the losing candidate in Ukraine’s presidential vote, is to file a massive 800 volume appeal against the result that will delay the declaration of a winner.
The former prime minister said his allies would file the appeal to the Supreme Court in Kiev to demand “the annulment of the so-called rerun".
Yanukovych described the appeal as “a convincing package of evidence that would prove election fraud".
Taras Chornovyl, Yanukovych’s campaign manager, said the appeal would be submitted on Wednesday afternoon. The timing could indicate that Yanukovych is aiming to delay Viktor Yushchenko’s inauguration as long as possible.
The final official vote tally showed west leaning Yushchenko with 51.99% and the Kremlin-favourite Yanukovych with 44.2%, the Central Election Commission announced in formally declaring Yushchenko the victor 15 days after the election.
But the final results must be approved by the high court and published in two official government newspapers before Yushchenko can be inaugurated, and the Supreme Court said today that the results cannot be published until it reviews Yanukovych’s complaint.
