by Marcus Papadopoulos
Ukraine’s period of flirting with the West looks set to come to an end after a pro-Russian candidate emerged victorious in the country’s presidential election.
Viktor Yanukovych, the opposition leader whose party is allied with the Kremlin-backed United Russia party, secured 48.95 per cent of the vote. His rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, garnered 45.47 per cent. More than 4 per cent of voters marked the “against all” box, an old Soviet-era practice.
In what is a remarkable turnaround for a man who lost the 2004 presidential race following allegations against him of electoral fraud, Mr Yanukovych fought this campaign on a platform of highlighting the immense damage that the Ukrainian economy has incurred as a result of the failed economic policies of the outgoing President, Viktor Yushchenko, and the other half of the Orange revolution, Prime Minister Tymoshenko.
Mr Yanukovych has pledged to restore close relations with Russia and to keep Ukraine out of Nato.
