Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko told voters on Wednesday the re-run of Ukraine's rigged presidential election would be no "easy stroll" and urged them to cast ballots to make certain of his victory. Yushchenko, this time the favourite in Sunday's new contest against Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, told tens of thousands of chanting supporters in Kiev's Independence Square that adversaries of change were prepared to disrupt the ballot. Yanukovich, backed by Russia and Ukraine's outgoing president, was declared the winner in the Nov. 21 ballot but the result, denounced by vast numbers of protesters in central Kiev, was overturned by the Supreme Court on grounds of mass fraud. "Each vote will help maintain Ukraine's unity, each citizen must come out so that the result is totally convincing, so that there is no temptation to cheat or disrupt the ballot," said Yushchenko, sporting a scarf in his trademark orange colours. "This vote will be no easy stroll. There are still forces prepared to disrupt it. It will be a special day in Ukraine's history, a test for truth and for honest elections. We must again show courage in defending our choice." --MORE 2321 Local Time 2021 GMT
