Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko held a televised debate Monday, six days before they contest the presidency in the decisive December 26 re-run of the presidential election run-off.
During the 100-minute debate broadcast by Ukraine's UT-1 national channel, the two rivals, Moscow-backed Yanukovych and West-backed Yushchenko traded accusations each other while making promises to voters in case of being elected the country's president
Yushchenko in opening remarks blamed Yanukovych and his team of stealing more than 3 million votes in December 21 runoff.
"The results of November 21 election were stolen by my opponent and his team," Yushchenko said.
"They tried to steal our future," Yushchenko stressed, speaking in Ukrainian.
Yanukovych, on his part, said that he fully agreed with those who went to the Independence Square with indignation against the authorities' actions.
He suggested to Yushchenko that the two men should unite efforts "to send this old regime into retirement"
Yanukovych, speaking in Russian, called against a situation when one of them would be elected a "defective president" of only one part of Ukraine.
Yushchenko, stressing that it is impossible to divide Ukraine's territory, said he is confident that the Ukrainian people can elect the head of state on their own without any instructions from abroad.
"It is high time to go over to the situation when Ukrainian President would not be elected in Moscow," Yushchenko said, adding that this problem also "equivalently" suits to Brussels, Warsaw and Washington.
Yushchenko definitely denied statement that his election campaigning was financed by the United States.
"I must openly say: my hands are clean. I never stole anything and never took anything that did not belong to me," said the West-leaning opposition leader.
Yanukovych urged the both rival sides to refrain from sending people on the streets while Yushchenko called for mutual understanding between the two camps after the rematch.
(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2004)
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