Voters go to polls in tense presidential run-off

Five years after a flawed election trigged an “Orange Revolution” that led to his eventual defeat, Viktor Yanukovich is pitted against Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a tense presidential run-off vote Sunday amid fears of post-election disturbances.

The pro-Western Tymoshenko and the pro-Russian Yanukovich have waged bitter campaigns in their bids for the country’s top post, after President Viktor Yushchenko was defeated in the first round on Jan. 17.

Tight race With all votes counted by the Central Election Commission, Yanukovich (right) ended with 48.95 percent to Tymoshenko's 45.47 percent. But Tymoshenko is pushing for a recount in some regions.

Polls opened at 8:00 am local time (6:00 am GMT) across the country on Sunday with exit polls expected shortly after polling ends at 8:00 pm.

Reporting from Kiev, FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg said voting in the Ukrainian capital appeared peaceful and ordered. But, he added, the regions of concern were in the rural areas and the eastern regions, home to Russian-speaking communities.

The critical race, between the country’s charismatic prime minister, famed for her traditional hair braid, and its rather dour opposition leader could determine whether the country will continue the strongly pro-Western and anti-Russian policies adopted since the 2004 Orange Revolution.

The euphoria of the Orange Revolution has been virtually wiped out after five years of plummeting living standards across the crisis-hit economy and acrimonious squabbles among the country’s political elites.

Gaffe-prone opposition leader versus sharp-tongued prime minister

In many ways, the personal chasm between the beefy, gaffe-prone Yanukovich and the sophisticated, sharp-tongued Tymoshenko mirrors the divide between Ukraine's Russian-speaking east and its nationalist west.

VOTE LIKELY TO BE CLOSE By Gulliver CRAGG

Yanukovich won the first round in January by a 10 percent margin and has been leading in opinion polls.

But according to Cragg, the election results could be close. “Yulia Tymoshenko has got a much better chance of picking up votes from supporters of candidates who came further down during the first round and also from undecided voters,” said Cragg.

Shortly after polls opened, Tymoshenko cast her vote in her home city of Dnipropetrovsk, from where she told reporters she had voted for “a new Ukraine, a happy Ukraine”.

Braced for political unrest

Tymoshenko’s hopes notwithstanding, the international community is braced for potential unrest following Sunday’s polls with both candidates threatening demonstrations if there were accusations of voter intimation or electoral fraud.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, an official from the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said he expected reports of voting irregularity throughout the day but said this wouldn't necessarily indicate fraud.

"What we look for is: are there many problems? If there are many problems then we will report it in that manner, but if there are only a few it's quite a normal occurrence,” said Canadian senator and OSCE director Consiglio Di Nino.

Any challenges to the election results, including post-electoral legal wrangling or demonstrations could stall Ukraine's economic political recovery and likely delay talks with the International Monetary Fund on a critical bail-out programme.