It's Official (but don't expect a concession speech)

The Ukrainian Central Election Commission has officially certified Yanukovych as the winner. I really did think they would put this off, given all the pressure to delay certification. Yushchenko said he would be amenable to re-running the elections, but I am skeptical that this will be settled that way. (Although I'd totally dig the chance to back and observe.) We'll see how any negotiations go.

Reading the tea leaves in all this is a bit daunting, as I'm not intimately familiar with all the players involved. What can we read into the fact that Pres. Kuchma has been surprisingly absent from public view? Why isn't he out there backing his man? Why this vague wording from the Minister of Defense instructing troops to "remain clam, carefully weigh all moves and conscientiously perform your constitutional duties." Not a very clear order, is it?