Ukraine poll sees splintered Orange camp ahead
MARK BEUNDERMAN
27.03.2006 @ 09:54 CET
Ukraine's Orange Revolution president Viktor Yushchenko has been beaten by his former ally Yulia Tymoshenko and pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych in parliamentary elections on Sunday (26 March), according to preliminary results.
Official results based on 7 percent of the votes counted on Monday morning say Ms Tymoshenko is leading with 24.9 percent, closely followed by Mr Yanukovich’ Regions Party on 23.1 percent, newswires report.
Yulia Timoshenko - claimed victory for the Orange camp (Photo: tymoshenko.com)
Mr Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine party came in third with 17.6 percent.
Ms Tymoshenko is a radical reformist who led the country’s Orange Revolution in November 2004 alongside Mr Yushchenko.
But she was sacked as prime minister by Mr Yushchenko in September 2005 amid allegations of corruption and infighting, leading to a break-up of the orange camp.
Now that she has taken the lead over her rival, she offered Mr Yushchenko co-operation in a pro-western coalition government in a bid to stifle Mr Yanukovych’s party, which seeks closer ties with Russia.
"We clearly won,'' said Ms Tymoshenko according to Bloomberg. "The orange team has won and that proves that our society has decided on a strategy for development. I'll make every effort to reunite us."
The Ukraine election results are closely followed by Brussels policy-makers as the poll is seen as a test for the country’s course towards closer ties with the EU and NATO, kicked off after the Orange Revolution and supported by both Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko.
Ms Tymoshenko during her campaign played an anti-Russian card, announcing that she would delete a recent deal on increased prices for imported Russian gas which came after Russia decreased supplies in January.
Mr Yanukovich, on the other hand, favours a more distanced approach to the EU, while opposing Ukrainian NATO membership and favouring friendly relations with Moscow.
The key to coalition-building is held by smaller parties which recorded big gains in Sunday’s vote.
The Socialist Party, which took 8.1 percent, could now help Ms Tymoshenko and Mr Yushchenko to a parliamentary majority.
The party was part of the orange camp until the cabinet broke apart in September, but is less enthusiastic about the goal of EU membership.
