off vote between opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and populist Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko after a presidential election produced no outright winner, official results showed on Monday. The election will define how Ukraine, a former Soviet republic of 46 million people wedged between the European Union and Russia, handles relations with its powerful neighbours, and may help unblock frozen IMF aid for its ailing economy. With more than 80 percent of the ballots counted from Sunday's poll, Yanukovich had a strong lead with 35.76 percent, well under the more than 50 percent needed for outright victory, the Central Election Commission said. Tymoshenko had 24.72 percent. The results set up what could be a close Feb. 7 contest, though analysts say Tymoshenko should pick up more votes from defeated first round candidates, while Yanukovich will have to fight hard to extend his appeal beyond his support base in the Russian-speaking east of the country. Tymoshenko, 49, helped lead the pro-Western Orange Revolution against Yanukovich's rigged 2004 presidential election victory and is most popular in the European-leaning west of the country. She hailed the voting pattern as proof that Yanukovich, a 59-year-old former mechanic, had no chance in the second round on Feb. 7 and called for talks with eliminated candidates.
