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U.S. slams Ukraine authorities for election conduct

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday criticized Ukrainian authorities for their conduct in general elections but stopped short of ruling them unfair, while President Leonid Kuchma's key reformist rival cried foul.

"We are disappointed that the government of Ukraine did not move in a proactive manner to ensure a level playing field for all political parties," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in a statement.

"We are particularly disappointed that officials did not take steps to curb the widespread and open abuse of authority, including the use of government positions and facilities, to the unfair advantage of certain parties," he added.

The United States has offered massive support to the eastern European country it apparently sees as a strategic counterbalance to Russian might in the post-Soviet world.

Ex-prime minister Viktor Yushchenko, who claimed victory on Sunday when exit polls gave him a 15 point lead over pro-Kuchma forces, said authorities falsified the count against him by as much as eight to 12 percent and threatened a court challenge.

With nearly 100 percent of the vote counted on Monday, results gave Yushchenko's party about 23 percent, the Communist Party had 20 percent and the so-called party of power, For United Ukraine, about 12 percent, the election commission said.

But percentages only account for half the 450 deputies in parliament. The other 225 are elected directly from single-member constituencies, where business barons and regional leaders largely loyal to Kuchma hold sway.

Reeker said the United States concurred with a preliminary statement on Monday by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that the election marked progress compared to the previous parliamentary vote in 1998, given that a new election law had been approved.

But he noted the OSCE's words that "important flaws persist" and gave U.S. backing to its plan for a follow-up mission to rule on whether the elections met democratic standards.

Reeker told a news briefing that Washington would await final results before commenting on whether the vote was fair.

Reeker also noted an OSCE warning that the role of election authorities and the judiciary in "promptly and transparently tabulating and publishing the results and addressing disputes will be instrumental in formulating final conclusions."