Ukraine elections presage change

KIEV, Ukraine – A pro-Russia party appeared headed to win the largest chunk of votes in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections Sunday, nationwide exit polls indicated, dealing a stinging rebuke to President Viktor Yushchenko’s West-leaning administration.

Polling stations shut after 15 hours, but voters who had waited in long lines and managed to get inside before the official closing time were allowed to cast ballots, choosing from more than 45 parties that sought seats in the 450-member parliament.

Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Moscow opposition leader who lost to Yushchenko in the 2004 presidential election forced by the Orange Revolution street protests, declared his party the winner on Sunday – long before official results were available.

“The Party of the Regions has won a convincing victory,” Yanukovych said after three exit polls put his party in a comfortable first place. “We are ready to undertake responsibility for forming the Cabinet, and we are calling on everyone to join us.”

The polls gave Yanukovych’s party anywhere from 27.5 percent to 31 percent, followed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc with about 23 percent, and Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine bloc with between 14 percent and 16 percent.

Yushchenko’s job was not at stake, but the vote was the first since constitutional reforms trimmed presidential powers and gave broader authority to parliament, including the right to name the prime minister and much of the Cabinet.

With less than 4 percent of the vote counted, Tymoshenko’s party had the lead with slightly less than 27 percent, followed by Yanukovych’s party with about 21 percent and Yushchenko’s bloc with 18.5 percent. The early official results, however, are not considered a fair reflection because of the small percentage.

A victory by Yanukovych’s party could potentially give him say over those choices, although he would not have the majority needed to act without parliamentary allies.

There were also indications Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, the flamboyant heroine of the Orange Revolution’s protests, might be willing to try to patch over their differences so they could form a governing coalition. But many analysts were skeptical that would happen.

Yushchenko also seemed to hint he might even consider working with Yanukovych.