Ukraine's Kuchma Accepts Election Law Changes After EU Talks

[Ulysses]

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma said he agreed that a new election law aimed at ending voting fraud must be in effect before the Dec. 26 re-run of the disputed presidential election.

Kuchma held six hours of talks in Kiev with European mediators, including European Union envoy Javier Solana and Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski. The parties agreed that the president should dismiss the Central Electoral Committee and appoint new members, Kuchma said early today.

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko, who both claim victory in the Nov. 21 vote, and Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, participated in the talks. Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, the Dumas, was also present.

The stalemate over the election pitted the U.S. and European Union, which Yushchenko wants to join, against Russia, which supported Yanukovych. Ukraine is the conduit for 85 percent of Russia's natural-gas exports, and shares borders with both Russia and the EU. The nation also will be one of the world's biggest grain exporters this year.

Yanukovych and Lytvyn signed the statement on the result of the talks ``with reservations,'' Kuchma said.

All parties agreed that the Supreme Court's decision on re- running the vote ``is the must'' to be fulfilled by all sides, Kuchma said. The Supreme Court ruled last week to cancel the Nov. 21 election result, in which Yanukovych finished first, because of evidence of massive fraud.

Parliament will meet today to try to approve changes to the election law, Kuchma said. Lawmakers approved a resolution on Nov. 27, recognizing that the election result was falsified and demanding that Kuchma dismiss the Electoral Committee. On Dec. 1, parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the government led by Yanukovych.

If approved, the new election law would end the possibility of a voter casting ballots several times using absentee certificates. It would also impose rules for completing lists of voters to ensure that dead people and those younger than 18 are not included, said lawmakers including Viktor Pinzenyk.