Winnipeg organizes symbolic polling station (11/28/04)

Winnipeg organizes symbolic polling station

WINNIPEG - On Sunday, November 21, Ukrainian citizens currently residing in Manitoba and hundreds of their supporters gathered near the Taras Shevchenko monument by the Legislative Building to express their protest against the violation of the voting rights in Ukraine and symbolically cast their own votes.

The symbolic polling station was created as a sign of support for Ukrainian democracy and protest against the most fraudulent and unfair elections in Ukrainian history.

The Ukrainian government opened a limited number of additional polling stations for more than 7 million Ukrainian citizens living abroad. Only two stations were opened in Canada - one in Ottawa and another in Toronto. All Ukrainians currently residing in central and western Canada were denied their constitutional right to vote at the additionally opened polling stations close to their places of residence and had to travel to Ottawa or Toronto to execute their right to vote.

On Sunday hundreds of people joined the protest to express their concerns against the unequal treatment of Ukrainian voters and to support the remaining chance of democracy in Ukraine.

Results of the symbolic vote showed that 113 eligible voters participated in symbolic elections. One ballot was spoiled, one voted "against all" and 111 voted for Viktor Yushchenko, the candidate of the opposition.

Representatives of the federal and provincial governments were present and spoke about the violation of human rights in Ukraine and importance of free democratic elections.

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