Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Ukraine Exit Polls: Yanukovych Wins Presidential Election by Slim Margin

   VOA News 07 February 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   Ukrainian   opposition   leader   and  presidential  candidate  Viktor
   Yanukovych  is  seen  at  a  polling  station  during the presidential
   election in Kiev, Ukraine Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010.

   Exit  polls  in  Ukraine's presidential run-off election indicate that
   pro-Russian  opposition  leader Viktor Yanukovych has narrowly won the
   election against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
   The  National  Exit  Poll  predicts  Mr.  Yanukovych has received 48.7
   percent of Sunday's vote while Ms. Tymoshenko won 45.5 percent.
   Reuters  news  agency reports a second exit poll giving Mr. Yanukovych
   49.8 percent against 45.2 percent for Ms. Tymoshenko. Official results
   are expected later this week.

   A  close  aide  of  Ms.  Tymoshenko  says it is too early to declare a
   winner.
   Mr.  Yanukovych,  who was considered the front-runner in the election,
   was declared the winner of the Ukraine's last presidential election in
   2004.   But  charges  of massive fraud and huge street protests dubbed
   the  "Orange  Revolution"  led  to  a  new  election, which he lost to
   pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko - the current president.
   Ms. Tymoshenko became prime minister in the Orange Revolution.
   The  presidential  campaign  has been marked by smears and insults and
   there  are fears of street protests if the loser refuses to accept the
   results.
   Even  before voting began Sunday, the candidates accused each other of
   vote  rigging.   Ms.  Tymoshenko's campaign said it will contest votes
   cast in about 1,000 polling stations.
   The  campaign  manager for Ms. Tymoshenko's party also alleged that an
   election  commission  member was killed in the early hours of election
   day,  but police and an independent election monitoring group said the
   man died of heart failure.
   Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

.