Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich won presidential elections on Sunday, according to exit polls, but rival Yulia Tymoshenko refused to concede, in remarks which could presage a court challenge.
Yanukovich, 59, a beefy ex-mechanic who wants better ties with Moscow, staged a remarkable comeback from a former election disgrace to lead Sunday's runoff vote with 49.8 percent, according to pollsters ICTV.
Former gas tycoon and serving premier Tymoshenko, 49, who led crowds onto the streets in 2004 to strip Yanukovich of victory after a fraudulent election, trailed with 45.2 percent.
Legal challenges and street protests from Tymoshenko could further delay Ukraine's chances of repaying over $100 billion of foreign debt and nursing its sickly economy back to health after a 15 percent collapse last year.
Two further exit polls pointed to Yanukovich winning but a stern-looking Tymoshenko was in no mood to give up and said that her team was conducting a "parallel count".
"It is too early to draw conclusions," Tymoshenko told a news conference. "Everything will depend on how our team defends the results. I ask everyone to fight for every result, every document, every vote, because a vote can decide our fate."
The exit poll results were greeted with applause at Yanukovich's campaign headquarters. "This means absolute victory for Viktor Yanukovich," aide Anna German told Reuters. "That leaves Tymoshenko with no chance".
The polls came after voting ended in snowy, sub-zero temperatures in this country of 46 million. Official results were expected during Sunday night.
ORANGE REVOLUTION:
Sunday's vote appeared to reflect a widespread feeling among Ukrainians that the Orange Revolution, which Tymoshenko co-led, failed to deliver prosperity or stability and instead led to constant political squabbling and deep economic crisis.
President Viktor Yushchenko, the other leader of the Orange Revolution, was eliminated from voting in the first round of the election after coming a humiliating fifth. He lauched a series of bitter personal attacks on his former ally Tymoshenko.
The economy has been battered by a decline in the value of Ukraine's steel and chemicals exports that has hammered the hryvnia currency, slashed budget revenues and undermined the domestic banking system. Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's election, squabbling and intrigue were set to continue.
Before polls closed, Tymoshenko's camp said it would contest results in around 1,000 polling stations in the eastern Donetsk region, the industrial power base of Yanukovich. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksander Turchynov, Tymoshenko's campaign chief, complained of multiple voting and bribery.
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