The pro-Russian party, having claimed anything short of their victory would constitute the theft of the election, is happy with the results showing them in the lead.
The Orange opposition, which combined outpolled the pro-Russians, suspects voter fraud in the eastern, pro-Russian portions of Ukraine:
Ukraine's president ordered an investigation into vote counting from a parliamentary election on Monday as his rival the prime minister and his allies in the pro-Western opposition both claimed victory.
Sunday's poll had been intended to resolve months of turmoil pitting President Viktor Yushchenko, swept to power by the 2004 "Orange Revolution," against Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, the rival he defeated in that upheaval.
The combined tally of "orange" groups, including the pro-presidential Our Ukraine party and ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc -- boosted by a high turnout -- appeared to have the upper hand as counting neared completion.
But there was no sign the confrontation between the two men was about to be resolved.
Yushchenko ordered an investigation into delays in vote counting in the prime minister's strongholds in eastern and southern Ukraine.
"I order law enforcement bodies to start an immediate investigation into the causes and circumstances of delayed vote count reports from polling stations," Yushchenko said in a televised address.
Yushchenko did not mention any adversaries by name, but said that "those who commit fraud will be punished."
Ukrainian media reported on irregularities throughout the country of 47 million despite an assessment by monitors that the vote broadly met international standards.
As long as voting merely validates whoever can steal an election most effectively, this is not democracy. It is not clear to me that the single largest party (Yanukovich) gets to form a government or whether the Orange parties (Tymoshenko and Yushchenko) may combine to form a government.
And notwithstanding the international monitors, I'm not ready to absolve Yanukovich's pro-Russian party of vote fraud based on their past intrigues.
We don't want this to be the last vote in Ukraine. Or the last of Ukraine as an independent nation.
