Ukraine court stalls election decision :: Charter'97 :: News

Ukraine`s opposition grew bolder yesterday in the political crisis that has brought throngs of protesters into the capital`s streets, calling a national strike and relishing a court order to hold off official publication of presidential election results. The massive protests gelled after Sunday`s presidential vote. Official results indicate Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won, but opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko says the ballot was rigged.

Yushchenko`s camp yesterday filed an appeal of the Central Election Commission`s final tally with the Supreme Court.

Hours later, the court ordered the results not be published until the appeal is heard. Yanukovych can`t be inaugurated until the publication.

Although Yanukovych enjoys the backing of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine`s Supreme Court is respected as an unbiased body.

"Yeah, we are definitely going to win," said Valentyn Kulchytsky, 23, one of the thousands of protesters keeping a vigil in downtown Kyiv.

Yushchenko praised the decision, but told the crowd, "This is only the beginning."

The court decision is likely to prolong the tension that has followed the vote -- the appeal will not be heard until Monday, giving the opposition time to push its civil disobedience campaign.

In Ottawa, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan applauded the intervention of Ukraine`s high court.

Canada is among several western countries that have condemned the election results as fraudulent.

The western-leaning reformist Yushchenko and his allies had called for an "all-Ukrainian political strike" starting yesterday.

Although there were no indications of such a strike materializing, the threat to shut down factories, schools and transportation risked provoking a crackdown by Kuchma, who accused the opposition of trying to carry out "a coup d`etat."

A strike could also further divide the country: Yanu-kovych draws his support from the pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half of Ukraine, while Yushchenko`s strength is in the west, a traditional centre of nationalism.

Along a main western road leading from the city of Lviv to the Polish border, Yushchenko supporters put up a barricade of logs and burning tires yesterday.

"We are doing this for our president, Yushchenko," said Maria Cherkas, standing at the roadblock.

Protesters in Kyiv -- which at times have numbered up to 200,000 -- have braved freezing temperatures in Independence Square since Sunday`s run-off election, saying the ballot was rigged in favour of Yanukovych.

They received another boost yesterday from visiting Lech Walensa, the founder of the Polish Solidarity movement.

Walensa, who told opposition supporters that he was "amazed" at their enthusiasm, predicted their protest would succeed.