KIEV (AP) - Election officials declared Nov. 24 that the Kremlin-backed prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, won former Soviet bloc Ukraine's disputed presidential runoff balloting.
The announcement prompted opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to call for a nationwide strike to protest what he called vote fraud.
The weekend elections have divided the country right down the middle - between the pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half of the country, and the western half, a traditional center of Ukrainian nationalism.
Yanukovych's victory also raised fears of violence in the capital, where tens of thousands of opposition supporters have rallied.
The elections have put strain on relations between Russia and the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already congratulated Yanukovych on his victory, and denounced the Ukrainian opposition for its "illegal actions," while Western observers have denounced the election as illegitimate, citing ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and other irregularities.
Official results had Yanukovych with 49.46 percent of the vote and Yushchenko with 46.61 percent.
Shukan ST: Dec. 3, 2004
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- turmoil
- 混乱
- Kremlin-backed
- ロシアが擁護する
- disputed presidential runoff balloting
- 対立を引き起こした大統領選の決選投票
- prompted 〜 to 〜
- 〜に直ちに〜させた
- vote fraud
- 票の不正
- have divided the country right down the middle
- 国を二分した
- pro-Russian
- ロシア寄りの
- heavily industrialized
- 工業化が進んだ
- nationalism
- 民族主義
- have rallied
- 結集した
- have put strain on 〜
- 〜を緊迫させた
- (has)congratulated(on 〜)
- (〜を) 祝った
- (has)denounced
- 非難した
- illegitimate
- 違法の
- citing 〜
- 〜を引き合いに出して
- ballot stuffing
- 票の水増し
- voter intimidation
- 有権者に対する脅迫
- irregularities
- 不正行為
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