Ukraine Votes In Tense Contest To End Turmoil

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainians voted Sunday in a snap parliamentary election meant to end months of political chaos, with pro-Western forces hoping to push their Russian-backed rival from power.

Yulia Tymoshenko offering a prayer for Ukrainian elections.
Polling stations across the former Soviet republic of 47 million people, which is sandwiched between Russia and the European Union, opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and were due to close at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT).

On the eve of the election, Western-leaning President Viktor Yushchenko appealed for voters to end "chaos" and back reforms promised during the 2004 pro-democracy "Orange Revolution."

The election to the single-chamber parliament, the Rada, was called to resolve a power struggle between Yushchenko and his prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, who is closer to Ukraine's former ruler Moscow.

None of the leading three parties was expected to win an outright majority, meaning coalition talks were inevitable.

Yushchenko's Our Ukraine-People's Self Defence party is teaming up with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, headed by glamorous former prime minister Tymoshenko, another key leader in the "Orange Revolution."

They hope to win enough combined votes to form a new government, with Tymoshenko replacing Yanukovych as premier.

However, polls predict Yanukovych's Regions Party will come a close second to the combined "Orange" parties. The prime minister may still be able to form a majority coalition if any of the 17 smaller parties manage to win seats.

Washington, the European Union and an increasingly assertive Kremlin are watching closely for political shifts in the former Soviet republic, which has expressed interest in joining both the European Union and NATO.

The country straddles key Russian gas export routes to energy-hungry EU clients.

It is also a testing ground for Western-style economic and political reforms in the former Soviet Union, where many countries are now headed by authoritarian governments.

Yushchenko said in his address Saturday that "the choice, in my view, is very simple: either you vote for change in your life, or for the past and those who divide us."

In the 2004 "Orange Revolution," huge popular protests forced Yanukovych to agree to a rerun of a flawed presidential election in which he had defeated Yushchenko.

Yanukovych was beaten in the rerun, but returned as premier after his party won a parliamentary majority in March 2006 elections.

The upheaval of the "Orange Revolution" sent shockwaves through Russia's political establishment, which had closely backed Yanukovych.

Moscow has accused Western governments of fomenting revolutions in its backyard, but Washington and other Western capitals say they are helping post-Soviet societies develop democracy.

Since then, many Ukrainians have become turned off by seemingly endless political bickering. There are fears of further street demonstrations and court battles if Sunday's election prompts complaints of vote rigging.

A pre-election report by the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations expressed concerns over voter registration and voting lists which "might lead to cases of multiple voting and ballot stuffing."

The report also criticised increased "abuse" of state resources in favour of certain parties.

Polls show 68 percent of voters will cast ballots. Political passions remain high in parts of the country, which is divided into the pro-Moscow, Russian-speaking east and south, and the more nationalist, Ukrainian-speaking west.

Source: AFP