The Head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine [CVU] Oleksandr Chernenko has said during a web conference reported by Interfax-Ukraine that appeals against the results will not have any significant impact on the outcome.

“According to our assessment, it would be possible to appeal against the results in 10-20 polling stations. In order to even out the result, Yulia Tymoshenko’s team would need to appeal against the outcome in more than 500 polling stations, which I think is unrealistic.”

Mr Chernenko said that he could not rule out the possibility that Tymoshenko would call her supporters out to protest actions, but that this would not be a second Maidan [i.e. a repeat of the events of November –December 2004 – translator].
“Maidan” as a phenomenon of 2004 cannot be organized by politicians; it can only be organized by the people themselves. If we speak of rallies, pickets in support of various candidates, these clearly will be held. However their impact on the outcome will be virtually non-existent. I see it as very positive that on the first day after the elections Tymoshenko’s team rejected destructive action. If a candidate is dissatisfied with the outcome, they are entitled to appeal. The main thing is that these appeals should not be accompanied by psychological pressure on the courts”.

Mr Chernenko also considers that Ukraine has taken steps backwards in terms of the democratic nature of the elections, in comparison with 2006 and 2007, but that there is enormous progress if compared with 2004.

“The elections were indeed problematical and fraught, and there was abuse. However I consider that the people’s will was registered. A simple example: in 2004 in the Donetsk region for the second round under full mobilization of voters the turnout was 96%. In 2010 the same figure was 76% This suggests that in 2004 20% were “added in”. This time it did not happen.”
The Head of the Mission of Observers from the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIA Countries, First Deputy Speaker of the Council of the Federation Alexander Torshin believes that such court reviews could “lead to a final schism in the country”.