Ukraine's president refuses neutral stance as poll looms

UKRAINE:Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko has dismissed calls from election officials to stop campaigning and remain neutral ahead of next week's ballot, in which West-leaning and pro-Russian parties will fight over the future direction of the deeply divided country.

The vote will see Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party reunite with supporters of the charismatic Yulia Tymoshenko in a pro-EU alliance that is neck-and-neck in polls with the more Moscow-friendly Regions Party of current prime minister Viktor Yanukovich.

"As president I am not outside the political process. I have a responsibility for [ ensuring] legality and freedoms," Mr Yushchenko said after election officials reprimanded him for encouraging voters to back his party in next Sunday's ballot.

"That is why I would recommend that the state agencies, including the Central Election Commission, do not politicise their activity. It is not in their competence to give such recommendations or make similar evaluations," he said.

Mr Yushchenko insists he is defending democracy by encouraging voters not to back Mr Yanukovich, whom he accuses of violating the constitution and reneging on agreements; the prime minister says the president is guilty of identical charges, and both allege that their rivals are planning to rig the forthcoming election.

Their enmity dates from 2004, when Mr Yushchenko became president after he and Ms Tymoshenko led the so-called Orange Revolution, which overturned a fraudulent ballot in which Mr Yanukovich claimed victory.

However, the "orange" alliance collapsed amid bitter infighting and Ms Tymoshenko's dismissal as prime minister, allowing Mr Yanukovich's supporters to form the most powerful single party in parliament and propel him to the premiership last year.

Opinion polls suggest next week's vote will be very close, and many observers fear results will be disputed and accusations of fraud exchanged around a country in which the mostly Russian-speaking east and south strongly back Mr Yanukovich, and more nationalist central and western regions support Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko.

Mr Yushchenko said in recent days that he is confident of a victory that would see the old "orange" allies regain power in parliament, and could see Ms Tymoshenko restored to the office of prime minister.