Yushenko appeals to have election declared invalid

Defeated presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko appealed to Ukraine’s Supreme Court today to declare the election results invalid, stepping up actions in the country’s political crisis.

Huge throngs of Yushchenko supporters have jammed the capital Kiev since Sunday’s election, which they contend was rigged to allow pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych to win.

In an appearance before Yushchenko’s supporters in Kiev, Wales said “I am amazed with your emotions and your enthusiasm. I am deeply sure that it will lead to your victory.”

The Western-leaning reformist Yushchenko and his allies have called for an “all-Ukrainian political strike” starting today.

The threat to shut down factories, schools and transport risked provoking a crackdown by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, who accused the opposition of trying to carry out “a coup d’etat”.

Yushchenko’s campaign manager, Oleksandr Zinchenko, told a growing crowd of protesters gathered in Kiev’s Independence Square that the opposition would begin blocking several roads in western Ukraine, where their support level is high.