Viktor Yanukovych's lead over Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the second round of Ukraine's presidential polls has narrowed to 2.76% with 85% of the vote counted, election officials said on Monday. Latest results give opposition leader and former premier Yanukovych 48.55% of the vote with Tymoshenko on 45.79%. A simple majority is required for victory. The remaining votes chose the «Neither of the above» option.
Yanukovych, who led bitter rival Tymoshenko by 13% at one point, declared victory late on Sunday, saying that, «From this day on, a new path opens up for Ukraine.» He called on Tymoshenko to quit. However Tymoshenko has refused to concede, saying the result is too close to call.
The closeness of the vote means that the eventual losing candidate is likely to call for protests. Tymoshenko has said she will urge her supporters to demonstrate if she feels the election has been rigged in favor of Yanukovych. Similar protests in 2004 led to the annulment of fraudulent poll results and the election of then Tymoshenko ally Viktor Yushchenko. Both candidates have pledged to improve ties with Russia, soured in recent years over pro-Western outgoing Yushchenko's bid to take the former Soviet republic into NATO, gas disputes, and Ukraine's support for Georgia in its 2008 war with Russia.
The first round of voting on January 17 saw Yanukovych gain 35.32% of the vote and Tymoshenko 25.05%. Yushchenko won just 5%.
