Ukraine's Orange Revolution allies made a strong combined showing in parliamentary elections and looked poised to win a majority that could unseat the prime minister and steer the country more firmly onto a pro-Western course, partial results showed yesterday.
Sunday's election was called early in an attempt to end a standoff between Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and President Viktor Yushchenko and shake sense into the ex-Soviet nation's politics after years of infighting.
With results from more than 40 percent of polling stations counted, the bloc led by fiery Orange Revolution heroine Yulia Tymoshenko had about 33 percent of the vote, followed closely by Yanukovych's party with 30 percent and Yushchenko's bloc a distant third with about 16 percent, according to the Central Election Commission.
PHOTO: AFP
The Communists were tallying 5 percent, followed by the party led by former parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn with 4 percent and the Socialists just above the 3-percent threshold for getting into parliament.
If the parties of Tymoshenko and Yushchenko come through on their pledge to cooperate, they would together have the majority of seats needed to form a government.
Tymoshenko, smiling triumphantly after exit polls were announced late on Sunday, said she would meet with Yushchenko yesterday to quickly formalize an alliance. Their coalition could mend a rift in Orange Revolution forces that had thrown the nation into political turmoil.
"In one or two days we will announce the coalition," Tymoshenko told reporters.
Yanukovych draws his support from the Russian-speaking east and south and is considered more Russia-friendly, though he has increasingly underlined his push for Ukraine's integration into Europe.
About 63 percent of the 37.5 million eligible voters cast ballots, according to official results.
The vote will either boost Ukraine's hopes to integrate more closely into Europe or stir more infighting. Forging a coalition with Tymoshenko could take weeks of bargaining, and Yanukovych is unlikely to give up power easily.
Yuriy Lutsenko, the leader of Yushchenko's party, said it was ready to back Tymoshenko as prime minister after the coalition is formed.
Tymoshenko pledged that the new government would push strongly for Ukraine to integrate more closely into Europe and quickly join the WTO. She also said Ukraine would seek to develop good relations with Russia and hold talks shortly on imports of Russian gas and its transit to Europe.
"We will guarantee a balanced, harmonious relationship with Russia," she said.
While Tymoshenko's headquarters celebrated the results with champagne, a gloomy silence hung over Yanukovych's campaign office.
A somber-looking Yanukovych made a brief statement in which he tried to present the results as his party's victory, saying it would now start talks with potential coalition partners. However, exit polls suggested those parties would not get enough seats to overcome an Orange alliance.
"We consider the election results as a carte blanche for our party to form a new government," Yanukovych said.
He took no questions and left.
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