AP 30 October 2012 KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian president's party will retain its strong grip on power, according to returns Monday from a parliamentary election that was criticized by Western observers as unfair and biased against the opposition. The West was paying close attention to Sunday's vote in the strategic ex-Soviet state of 46 million people, which lies between Russia and the European Union and serves as a key transit nation

New York Times 29 October 2012 KIEV, Ukraine – International observers delivered scathing criticism on Monday of Ukraine's parliamentary election, saying the vote was heavily tilted in favor of President Viktor F. Yanukovich's Party of Regions through the abuse of government resources, the dominance of media coverage and the jailing of two prominent opposition leaders. "Considering the abuse of power, and the excessive role of money in this

RFE/RL 29 October 2012 International election monitors have given a strongly negative assessment of Ukraine's parliamentary vote while ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has gone on hunger strike to protest the manner in which the poll was conducted. Speaking on October 29 at a press conference in Kyiv, Walburga Habsburg Douglas, the head of the short-term monitoring mission for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),

UPI 29 October 2012 KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Politics in Ukraine are dominated by powerful economic groups, suggesting the country's democratic potential wasn't realized, the OSCE said. Ukrainians voted Sunday in parliamentary elections. Walburga Habsburg Douglas, head of the observer mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said there was a general lack of balance during the campaign. "Considering the abuse

The Economist 29 October 2012 UKRAINE's ruling Party of the Regions looks set for victory in national elections on October 28th. With almost 70% of the vote counted, the party of president Viktor Yanukovych (pictured above) was on 33.51% of the vote, the opposition Fatherland party was on 22.97%, and the Communists received 14.51%. A party led by world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko had garnered 13.13% of the vote and Svoboda, a far-right

Washington Post 29 October 2012 MOSCOW – Election results reported Monday in Ukraine's parliamentary election point to an effort by the ruling Party of Regions and President Viktor Yanukovych to follow the same path of government-by-strongman as neighbors Russia and Belarus. In balloting that was sharply criticized by international observers and denounced as flagrant fraud by the opposition, the party appears to have furthered its grip on