Supreme Court to rule on Ukrainian election result

Ukraine’s Supreme Court began discussing the validity of the presidential election results today, as political tensions heightened in the country.

An eastern province is scheduling a referendum on autonomy and the opposition is threatening to tighten a blockade against top officials in the bitterly divided nation.

The Supreme Court, sitting in the capital Kiev, was considering an appeal by opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko against official results of the presidential election which declared pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner.

The court was expected to hear arguments, then retire to review the case before issuing a decision. It was not clear how long the proceedings would last.

The high court ruling could pave the way for a new vote, which the opposition is demanding, or remove the only barrier to the inauguration of Yanukovych, who has the backing of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and the Kremlin.

“The official results of the elections do not meet the people’s will and this is a violation of their constitutional rights,” Roman Zvarych, a Yushchenko aide, said inside the court. “I hope that the Supreme Court will be guided by the law.”

Under Ukrainian election legislation, the court is unable to rule on the overall results, but can declare results invalid in individual precincts.

While the court’s decision is likely to boost the legitimacy of whichever side it seems to favour, it could also deepen the divide and prolong the crisis by fuelling anger in the other camp.

Early today, opposition supporters – with ribbons in Yushchenko’s campaign colour of orange flapping from their clothes – slid down the capital’s icy streets shouting their leader’s name.

The referendum in the eastern province of Donetsk would ask voters to demand the status of a republic for the region, which would require changing Ukraine’s constitution to allow for stronger self-rule for its provinces. While such changes could face serious opposition, the vote suggested Ukraine’s rift could deepen much further if the election results are overturned.

The crisis has deepened the divide between Ukraine’s pro-Russian east and Yushchenko’s strongholds in the capital and western Ukraine, which is a traditional centre of Ukrainian nationalism.

Russia and the West are at odds over the political stalemate in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin openly backed Yanukovych and congratulated him on his victory, while many Western nations, say they don’t recognise the official results.