
A victory rally for Mr Yanukovych is being held in Kiev Ukraine's pro-Moscow opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appears to be heading for a narrow victory in the country's presidential election.But with more than 95% of the votes counted, PM Yulia Tymoshenko has closed the gap to 2.4% on her rival. Mr Yanukovych called on Mrs Tymoshenko to quit, but she refused and is expected to challenge the result. The results suggest a remarkable comeback after Mr Yanukovych was swept aside by the 2004 "Orange Revolution". Under the 59-year-old former mechanic, Ukraine's foreign policy is expected to become more pro-Russian. 'Full circle'The BBC's Richard Galpin in Kiev says a Yanukovych win would be an extraordinary indictment of the pro-Western Orange Revolution leaders' failure to deliver on their promises, which has left people deeply disillusioned. AT THE SCENE Richard Galpin, BBC News, Kiev The official count by the electoral commission is now showing Viktor Yanukovych's lead as less than 3%, and not all the votes have been counted yet.
[Read more...]