Ukrainian opposition wants vote recount

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KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- An opposition leader in Ukraine rejected a proposal for a new vote in some districts as disputes over October parliamentary elections continue.

Opposition leaders said Oct. 28 elections in Ukraine were fraudulent. Election authorities offered to have a second round of voting in five districts, though opposition leaders said they wanted recounts instead.

"We are demanding that the Central Electoral Commission establish the result of voting in 13 districts where, according to the final tally, the opposition won," Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a leader from the United Opposition coalition, was quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as saying.

Preliminary results indicate the Party of Regions, led by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, won 30 percent of the nationwide votes during the October contest. Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov disputed fraud allegations by saying results so far are in line with pre-election surveys.

The opposition Fatherland party, led by jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, took second place in the elections.

The European Union, along with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, expressed concern about the democratic processes in Ukraine after the vote.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said from Brussels that it was "very clear" that October elections were a step backward for the country.