HIGH TURNOUT election - exit polls say challenger - establishment party says exit polls have errors - wait for "official count - large numbers of voters left off lists, many irregularities this time, especially multiple voting by groups holding special absentee ballots -Western observers had demanded action to resolve first-round problems
sound familiar?
what is a bit strange is the fact that the Ukraine media is chasing the "many irregularities" - a free press is no longer known to EXIST in the USA.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=3&u=/nm/20041121/wl_nm/ukraine_dcExit Poll Shows Liberal Wins in Ukraine
By Ron Popeski
KIEV (Reuters) - An early poll showed West-leaning liberal Viktor Yushchenko winner of Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday as up to 12,000 supporters massed in Kiev's main square urging authorities to acknowledge his triumph.
But campaign officials of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, the establishment candidate backed by Russia, reacted with disdain and said they would only heed the final count issued by election authorities.
Sunday's run-off vote concluded a bruising campaign. Yushchenko has said he will bring thousands out onto the streets if he is cheated and the ex-Soviet state could be pitched into turmoil if the result is contested.
The exit poll, conducted by Ukrainian research groups, gave Yushchenko 54 percent of the vote against 43 percent for Yanukovich, endorsed by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma. <snip>
Tyhypko contested the exit poll findings and said research by the premier's team showed him leading by 3 to 5 percent. He said exit polls conducted in the first round had failed to reflect the final official outcome -- which gave Yushchenko a lead of less than one percentage point. <snip>