Ukrainian Parliament Votes No Confidence to CEC Results

At an Extraordinary Session of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, voted not to recognize the results announced by the CEC of the elections held on November 21 because they do not reflect the wishes of the people.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Lytvyn said that results of 1st tour was unacceptable but the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) at the that time they, and he included himself, remained quiet. He said "If we took a principled position after the first tour, we would not have this situation."

The Communists said that they believed that because the first tour was also falsified, the vote should be to annul everything which occured.

Opposition deputies quickly pointed out that if they were to do that, the "criminal authorities" would continue in their illegitimate roles.

Ultimately 323 deputies, both the opposition and pro-vlada voted for this. For a motion to pass, it must have 226 votes.

Furthermore, the Verkhovna Rada requested that Kuchma, the current Ukrainian President submit to the parliament his recommendations concerning the resignation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) members by December 1, 2004.

5Kanal is reporting that members of Yanukovych's parliamentary fraction, Regions of Ukraine, are disheartened because their candidate was the wrong candidate to begin with.

Koresspondent is reporting that pro-Yanukovyh factions Regions lost another member, Ihor Chelombitko and SDPU(o) lost Anatoli Pysarenko.

Earlier, Regions lost Voldymyr Maystryshyn who left the fraction as a protest against the CEC's decision to announce Yanukovych the winner of the presidential race.