Defeated Tymoshenko calls Ukraine vote rigged

Defeated Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko yesterday denounced the election a couple of weeks ago as rigged and vowed to challenge the result in court. Tymoshenko ended six days of silence since the February 7 ballot with a live...

Defeated Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko yesterday denounced the election a couple of weeks ago as rigged and vowed to challenge the result in court.

Tymoshenko ended six days of silence since the February 7 ballot with a live appearance on television.

Preliminary results from the election gave opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych a narrow lead of 3.5 percentage points.

International observers described the election as free and fair, damaging Tymoshenko's chances of mounting a successful court challenge.

She asked Ukrainians to support her legal battle to overturn the elections, but urged them not to take to the streets in protest as demonstrations would destabilise the country.

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