Ukraine frontrunners woo left

Published: Nov. 1, 2004 at 1:43 PM

KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The two front-running candidates in Ukraine's presidential election have started to woo left wing voters, Interfax-Ukraine news agency said Monday.

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the heir of incumbent President Leonid Kuchma and his pro-American rival Viktor Yushchenko will face each other in a run-off election Nov. 21 because neither won a majority in the first round of voting Sunday. Yanukovych led narrowly with 40.12 percent and Yushchenko had 39.15 percent with 94 percent of votes counted.

That means the 11 percent of votes won in the first round by Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko and Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz will be vital to deciding the winner.

Yanukovych and Yushchenko both announced their readiness on Monday to work together with the country's left-wing political forces ahead of the run-off election, Interfax-Ukraine said.

Speaking at a briefing in Kiev, Yanukovych told supporters of Symonenko and Moroz they "had lost nothing" because of their leaders' failure to reach the second round, the news agency said.

The elections were marred by widespread reports of violations and fears that violence could follow in the days after polls close.

More than 2,000 special forces personnel were brought into Kiev to maintain order.

In Moscow, hundreds of people who showed up at the Ukrainian embassy were turned away because they had missed the Oct. 24 deadline to register to vote, the Moscow Times said.

Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov and Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov to step up efforts to create a dual citizenship regime with Ukraine by starting consultations with the Ukrainian parliament, Interfax reported.

© 2004 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Your Daily Horoscope (44 min)
The almanac
NHL: San Jose 4, Vancouver 2
Modest Atlantic hurricane season ends
COL BKB: West Virginia 84, Portland 66
NFL: Baltimore 20, Pittsburgh 17 (OT)
Nets fire Coach Lawrence Frank
fark
Organizers of prison raffle realize that offering a first prize of "get out of jail free" may have...
Church finds success using football to bring people to God, because football is real and can change...
British officials spend two years and $500,000 on study proving that 10-pin bowling is a health...
New Zealand church fined for using cell phone jammers so people's phones don't go off during services....
The 40,000 British parents who home-school their children may be required to undergo a criminal...
Woman says a deranged man followed her off the bus and stole her teeth. "He kept thaying how my...