Yanukovich wins, Tymoshenko will rule

The party of Ukraine's prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, has overtaken its main rival, the orange party of former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, to claim the largest share of the vote in the country's parliamentary election.But Tymoshenko is still expected to become the new prime minister at the head of an orange coalition with Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's pro-western president, whose Our Ukraine bloc has won 14.94% of the votes counted. Two exit polls had predicted that Mr Yanukovich's party would gain the largest share of the vote. He insisted today it would still form the next government. Yes, the Prime Minister was today reluctant to concede defeat. He said: "Nothing confirms the Orange forces' victory. There aren't official results yet and to draw conclusions on exit polls is irresponsible."

"Moscow now has little political capital in the Ukraine with the revived Orange coalition of Ms Tymoshenko and the President Viktor Yushchenko" said Tony Halpin, Moscow Correspondent of The Times.