Main presidential candidates again speak about possible election fraud, experts say
Kyiv, December 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The leading candidates for Ukrainian president have recently made more statements about possible fraud at the upcoming presidential election, but nevertheless they are not sure that the election results will fundamentally change after any decisions taken in the courts, political experts have said.
"Each [of the main candidates] now says that his or her opponent is trying to rig the election. I wouldn't exaggerate the role of the courts in determining the election results. Of course, the results in districts will be challenged, but in a global sense I don't think that the court system will play the same role as it did in 2004," President of the Open Policy Analytical Center Ihor Zhdanov said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.
Director of the Situations Modeling Agency Vitaliy Bala, in turn, said that the question of possible election fraud by presidential candidates Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko remains urgent.
"Talk about fraud at the upcoming election has become sharper. All of the main players, in fact, said this week that this or that candidate would rig [the election]," he said.
Director of GMT Group Anatoliy Lutsenko forecast that the main attempts at election fraud would be linked to the electoral rolls.
The election of the Ukrainian president is scheduled for January 17, 2010.