Sunday, September 23, 2007

A worrying ratcheting up of rhetoric

Today in Sevastopol PM Viktor Yanukovych stated that any attempts to falsify the results of the extraordinary Sept 30th VR elections, or to declare the elections void, will result in large scale actions of protest.

"We are receiving information from all regions of Ukraine that they [the opposition] have switched to a full program of utilization of administrative resources, and will try by any means to falsify the elections or ensure they do not take place. We know this. We have turned to the law-enforcement agencies, to the Procurator General's office, and to President Yushchenko. I said [to the President], if you go for this, you should know: for you it will end with you not only losing selections - some will not [even] have time to fly away from Ukraine, because all the common people will rise up. The country will rise up against these irresponsible people, who are destroying the entire country," said Yanukovych on Saturday, addressing a PoR meeting in Sevastopol, reportedly attended by 8000 supporters.

Only a couple of days ago PoR announced it was their intention to withdraw from the early election campaign [and nullify the result?] if its opponents do not stop their alleged provocations.

Does this sudden flip in strategy indicate the intervention of a hidden hand, or just confused leadership?

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