Disputed vote pushes Ukraine toward strife

KIEV — Ukraine moved one step closer to civil conflict yesterday when election authorities declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the nation’s next president after fraud-tainted elections that triggered four straight days of massive anti-government protests.

Four of the 15 members of the nation’s Central Election Commission dissented from the decision.

Appearing buoyant before a crowd of more than 200,000 supporters, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who had declared himself the winner one day earlier, called for a general strike and said the decision freed the opposition “to put the nation on the street in an open struggle.”

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said in Washington that the United States did not consider the election legitimate.

“We cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse,” Mr. Powell said.

The White House had urged Ukrainian authorities not to validate the election results.

“The decision of the CEC is illegal and puts Ukraine on the verge of a civil war,” Mr. Yushchenko told reporters who gathered on Kiev’s central Independence Square for the fourth day.

He said the government had “taken the most primitive road toward conflict” and thrown away “the possibility of political discussions and the road to compromise.”

Mr. Powell said he had spoken to outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, who backed Mr. Yanukovych, and urged that the government not crack down on the protesters.

“Ukrainian leaders need to decide whether they are on the side of democracy or not,” Mr. Powell said.

“If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine’s hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud,” Mr. Powell said.

Mr. Kuchma was outside the Ukrainian capital and has not been seen on television since an address to the nation one day before Sunday’s disputed election.

The military has refused to use force against protesters. Defense Minister Alexander Kuzmuk said his forces “will always serve only the people’s interests.”

Earlier in the day, Mr. Yushchenko said several military units in western Ukraine pledged their support to the opposition leader.

Ukrainian media reported the management of the nation’s largest commercial airport, Boryspil International, said it supported the opposition.

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