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Split vote in Ukraine

Vladimir Radyuhin

Pro-Russian Yanukovich grabs the biggest share

MOSCOW: Early returns in Ukraine's parliamentary poll on Sunday show that pro-Russian Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich has grabbed the biggest share of votes, but fell short of a majority enough to form a Government.

With just over 35 per cent of the votes counted by Monday afternoon the Party of the Regions led by Mr. Yanukovich captured the lead in the 45-party race with close to 27 per cent followed by the bloc of the former Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, with less than 24 per cent and President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Party with over 16 per cent. Two other parties have also cleared the 3 per cent threshold to make it to Parliament.

The split vote dictates the need for the winners to forge a coalition in the 450-member Verhovna Rada to form government.

Charismatic leader

Ms. Timoshenko, the charismatic leader of the pro-Western "orange revolution" which paved the way for Mr. Yushchenko's presidency in late 2004, has already laid claim to the post of Prime Minister confidently predicting her coalition with President Yushchenko's party.

Mr. Yushchenko, whose third place in the poll amounts to a humiliating defeat, faces a hard choice between his former ally, Ms. Timoshenko, whom he sacked as Prime Minister several months after the ""range revolution," and his former rival, Mr. Yanukovich.

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