Yanukovich fights losing battle

THE Ukrainian supreme court yesterday rejected motions from lawyers of defeated presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovich as it started hearing his appeal to annul the results of last month’s election.

After a day of arguments, the court adjourned, leaving open the question of when Western-leaning reformer Viktor Yushchenko might be inaugurated. He was declared the winner of the St Stephen’s Day election with 51.99% against Mr Yanukovich’s 44.2%, but cannot be inaugurated until the supreme court in Kiev resolves the appeal.

The December election was a rerun of a November poll, in which Mr Yanukovich was declared the winner. That vote was annulled by the high court after allegations of fraud.

Much of the alleged fraud was connected with misuse of absentee voting procedures that allowed people to cast multiple ballots. After the first election, parliament passed reforms eliminating absentee balloting.

But that provision was overturned by the constitutional court the day before the December vote, leaving little time for many elderly and ailing people to make voting arrangements.

Mr Yanukovich’s appeal focuses on that issue, claiming large numbers of Ukrainians were denied the vote. Ahead of the hearing, Mr Yanukovich accused the court of “adopting a biased position in advance.”

Mr Yanukovich’s legal team at the hearing includes three Swiss lawyers, apparently underlining his stated intention to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if the Ukrainian court rules against him.