Ukrainians Cast Their Ballots

Ukrainians cast ballots Sunday in a parliamentary election that could tip this divided ex-Soviet republic back toward Russia just 16 months after the Orange Revolution helped put it on a westward course.

An opposition party advocating improved ties with Moscow and a halt to Ukraine's efforts to join NATO is expected to win the most seats in the 450-member parliament. President Viktor Yushchenko's job is not at stake, but the vote is 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.

The vote could potentially allow Viktor Yanukovych, who lost the contested 2004 presidential elections, to slow the pro-Western course set by Yushchenko and seek improved ties with Moscow.

Amid disillusionment over the sharp slowdown in economic growth, Yushchenko's party is in the doldrums and Yanukovych's fortunes have dramatically recovered since he was accused of rigging the presidential vote.

Yanukovych, who enjoys broad support in Ukraine's Russian-speaking industrialized east and ties to its powerful tycoons, is likely to secure some 30 percent of the vote for his Party of the Regions, according to most opinion polls.

The country's mainly Ukrainian-speaking western and central provinces are split between Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party and the party of flamboyant Yulia Tymoshenko, the blond-braided heroine of the Orange Revolution's mass protests over election fraud.

The two had a bitter falling out in September when the president abruptly fired Tymoshenko, accusing her of ruining the economy and betraying the Orange Revolution ideals. Tymoshenko struck back, saying Yushchenko was being manipulated by a clique of self-interested advisers.

But there are signs they may be considering reconciliation. Yushchenko said Sunday his party will start talks with former Orange Revolution allies on forming a coalition after the election.

"The most important thing is the maximum engagement of democratic forces in forming a coalition," he said after casting his ballot at a Kiev polling station.

Tymoshenko portrays herself as a victim of ruthless and corrupt clans, which along with her public speaking prowess helped her retain strong public support in the nation of 47 million people, while Yushchenko's ratings plummeted from 70 percent a year ago to less than 20 percentage points in recent opinion polls.

"Yulia is our last hope," Iryna Petrova, a 64-year old retiree said after voting for Tymoshenko's bloc at a polling station in downtown Kiev.

Russia, still reeling from a humiliating defeat it suffered in the 2004 presidential election when a court annulled Yanukovych's fraud-tainted victory and ordered a repeat vote, avoided direct meddling in the campaign, but worked actively behind the scenes.

In what was widely interpreted as an attempt to turn the heat on Yushchenko, Russia at the start of the year forced Ukraine to pay double for its gas imports after an acrimonious price dispute that led to a brief shutdown in Russian gas shipments to Ukraine - also affecting transit supplies to Western Europe.

Yushchenko's foes, including Yanukovych, Tymoshenko and others, denounced the deal as the betrayal of Ukraine's national interests and voted to fire his Cabinet. While Yushchenko ignored the vote, it underlined the growing challenges he was facing.

Yanukovych promised to mend ties with Moscow, make Russian a second state language and drop plans for Ukraine to join NATO. He supports European Union membership, but said the first priority should be joining a Russian-led economic bloc of former Soviet nations.

His party isn't expected to win a majority that would make it capable of forming the Cabinet alone, but it is expected to become a key force in any future coalition.

Yushchenko has kept the door open for forming a coalition with Yanukovych, whom he called a criminal just over a year ago - an about-face that analysts say could further erode public support.

Ihor Prikordonny, a 68-year-old pensioner, said he voted for Yushchenko's party but was against the president striking an alliance with Yanukovych. "Yanukovych has discredited himself and lacks education and culture," Prikordonny said.
By Vladimir Isachenkov