Ukraine opposition parties called a public rally for Monday to protest against what they said was fraud by President Viktor Yanukovich's ruling party in the final stages of the vote-count from the October 28 parliamentary election.
The united opposition, which includes the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party of jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, issued its protest call with a handful of seats to the 450-seat parliament still in dispute between candidates favourable to Yanukovich's Party of the Regions or to opposition forces.
Over the weekend, nerves were at breaking point in several of nine disputed districts with election officials who were conducting the vote-count besieged by supporters from both camps, demanding a re-count or threatening court action.
In one district in southern Ukraine, black helmeted riot police used tear gas when tensions boiled over between representatives backing a Regions candidate and those supporting a Batkivshchyna member.
The Regions, seen as representing the interests of big business, still seem set to retain a majority of more than 225 seats in the assembly, assuming support from their traditional communist allies and some independents. But Batkivshchyna has made a strong showing and the opposition will be re-energised by the arrival in parliament of the UDAR (Punch) party of world heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko and the far-right nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party.
An overall Regions victory is likely to be seen by Yanukovich as a mandate to continue policies which opponents say favour the big business industrialists who back him. Equally, the leadership will continue to be cold-shouldered by the United States and the European Union over the imprisonment of Tymoshenko. The EU has already to refused to settle a major free trade pact because of her case.
Calls by the opposition for a protest rally in central Kiev over alleged vote-rigging evoke memories of the "Orange revolution" street protests of 2004-5 which overturned an election of Yanukovich as president, dooming his first bid for power.
"The authorities are carrying out bare-faced fraud in districts where opposition candidates are winning. The wishes of tens of thousands of citizens are being changed into a forged result in favour of pro-ruling party candidates," a united opposition statement said on Sunday. "The united opposition is appealing to all opposition forces, to all those who are not indifferent to fate of the country, to come to the building of the central electoral commission and defend their vote," it said. The Regions have denied allegations of vote-rigging.
International monitors, the day after voting, criticised the authorities over aspects of the run-up to the election, mentioning specifically Tymoshenko's imprisonment and biased media coverage.
They said the election marked a "step backwards" for Ukraine under Yanukovich's leadership, though they were largely positive about the way voting had been conducted.
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