Azernews.Az

Political tensions are rising in Ukraine as the country's opposition presses its demands for a partial recount of last month's parliamentary elections, Radio Liberty reported.

The opposition accuse election officials of fraud in the Oct. 28 election in favor of the ruling party of President Viktor Yanukovych.

On November 5 in Kyiv, opposition leaders demanded election officials recount votes in 13 electoral districts.

Election officials offered to rerun the vote in five of the districts.

Arseny Yatsenyuk, leader of the united opposition, rejected the proposal, saying the opposition wants a recount, not a revote.

"We are demanding that the Central Electoral Commission establish the result of voting in 13 districts where, according to the final tally, the opposition won," he told reporters.

"If the falsifications which are taking place in the local election commissions continue, if the Central Election Commission doesn't protect the law and the constitution and - what is the main thing - if it doesn't take the side of the Ukrainian people who gave an advantage to the opposition candidates, such an election can not be acknowledged," Yatsenyuk added.

Outside the offices of the Central Electoral Commission some 1,500 opposition supporters demonstrated.

The boxing champion and leader of the opposition Udar, or Punch, party, Vitaly Klitschko addressed the crowd earlier in the day.

"We are proposing that [President Viktor Yanukovych], as the guarantor of the constitution, join the [vote counting] process, because he should guarantee the implementation of the law. If the law is not implemented, then why do we need such a guarantor? I'm sure, therefore, that along with an early parliamentary election, we will also hold a presidential election if he doesn't fulfil his presidential functions now," Klitschko said.

There were reports later in the evening of scuffles between some protesters and riot police.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said the Party of the Regions had nothing to do with the incidents at the center of the dispute, adding the results released so far are in line with exit polls and preelection surveys.

Results released so far give the Party of the Regions a narrow lead over the opposition.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the misuse of state money and resources and biased media coverage in the vote run-up, saying democracy had taken a "step backward" since Yanukovych was elected in 2010.

That assessment was shared on November 5 by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen:

"I am very concerned about the situation in Ukraine. It's clear that the parliamentary elections constituted a step backwards for Ukrainian democracy," Rasmussen said in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton added her voice as well, urging officials in Kyiv to quickly release final election results "which should reflect the genuine will of the Ukrainian voters."