Yushchenko Pushes Back Election Date To June 24

In a live television address last night, President Yushchenko said that he was pushing back the date for new elections from May 27 to June 24 in order to give the Central Elections Committee (CEC) time to arrange to hold democratic elections. Nick Piazza:  From the day Yushchenko announced the date for the May 27 elections, it was clear that it would be nearly impossible for the Central Elections Committee to be ready in time. Though we believe that eventually new elections will probably be held, the new date also looks a touch optimistic as the CEC still has no funding to hold them. Look for Regions to push for a date closer to the fall to allow them time build up support from their power base.