Calls for Massive Ukraine Observation

The EU’s political parties and leaders have warmly welcomed the Ukrainian Supreme Courts’ call for elections to be re-run following indications of wide spread fraud the first time around. The Court had ruled on Friday that the election committee re-run of the second round, with opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko once again facing Viktor Yanukovych. All attention is now being turned to the Dec. 26 vote - and ensuring that it is free and fair. The European Parliament’s socialist bloc has called for observers to ensure that the re-run takes place in different circumstances. "It is now extremely important that a massive observer operation is prepared as quickly as possible," said vice president Jan Marinus Wiersma. "We must make every effort to ensure that the democratic will of the people of Ukraine prevails." In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Elmar Brok said that the EU could send between 500 and 800 observers. During the contested elections, less than 10 EU observers were sent under an OSCE-led operation. (EUobserver.com)