Supreme Court Rejects Yanukovych Appeals

By Aussiegirl

Ukraine's Supreme Court has rejected two key complaints lodged by Yanukovych against the recent election, including the complaint that disabled voters were disenfranchised. Since this was his main complaint, it is unlikely he will prevail on the two others still being considered, or will be sustained in his objections by the Election Commission.

If Yushchenko indeed names Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian reformist firebrand as his Prime Minister, he will be laying down a powerful marker of his intentions to clean house and to institute wholesale reforms in Ukraine. Read her powerful words below. She is not of the "let's just all get along" school of political accomodation. I hope they both have their heads firmly attached to their bodies and that they are very careful of the soup they eat from now on. They have chosen a bold path that takes great personal courage and also political savvy.

Here's the article:

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Thursday, 30 December 2004

Ukrainian Court Rejects First Vote Challenges

30 December 2004 -- Ukraine's Supreme Court today rejected two legal challenges brought by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych aiming to invalidate the presidential runoff won by his opponent, Viktor Yushchenko.
The court refused to review complaints alleging that the Central Election Committee failed to enforce voting law and failed to ensure that all disabled voters received home-voting rights.

The court rejected another Yanukovych challenge to the vote result announced yesterday. It continues to review a fourth and final complaint from the Yanukovych camp.

Electoral authorities are also reviewing complaints from Yanukovych that could nullify the 26 December runoff.

Allies of opposition leader Yushchenko said today they are confident that their side will win any legal challenges.
Meanwhile, Yushchenko suggested that he would support Yuliya Timoshchenko to be Ukraine's prime minister once he is president. Timoshchenko on Wednesday foreshadowed a new political order in Ukraine.

"When we come to power, opposition members will not be jailed or exiled as they were under [outgoing President Leonid] Kuchma,"
Tymoshenko said. "And their heads will not be cut off, as happened to [slain journalist Heorhiy] Gongadze, and journalists will not be beaten in their own homes, because we are coming to power with a completely different heart and a different mind. And I think you will be able to see and understand that."

Yushchenko has pledged that his new government will work to deepen Ukraine's cooperation with both the European Union and Russia