Ukrainian president signs election amendments ahead of Feb. 7 runoff
04/02/201015:50
KIEV, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's president signed on Thursday amendments to election laws just days ahead of the February 7 presidential runoff, the presidential website said.
Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko slammed the amendments, which were pushed through parliament on Wednesday by her rival Viktor Yanukovych's party, saying they "open the way to election fraud."
Tymoshenko pledged earlier on Thursday to use any means to ensure "a fair election," and threatened to stage mass rallies, reviving memories of the 2004 pro-Western "orange revolution" protests that swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power.
She earlier asked Yushchenko, whom she backed five years ago but with whom she split after a series of bitter power struggles, not to sign the amendments, which cancel the need for candidates' representatives to supervise vote counting at polling stations.
Yanukovych said the requirement for the two-thirds quorum should be scrapped as Tymoshenko's bloc could disrupt the runoff by telling representatives not to attend certain polling stations.
The amendments, which triggered a clash between the rival groups in the Supreme Rada yesterday, need to be published in a government newspaper to become law.
Tymoshenko and Yanukovych face each other in Sunday's runoff after a campaign marred my mutual accusations and insults.
The winner will have to tackle a profound economic crisis in the ex-Soviet state and strained relations with its traditional ally Russia.
Yanukovych won the first round of the elections with 35% of the vote against 25% for Tymoshenko. Yushchenko received just 5% in the first round.
