Vote-rigging Fears Hit Ukraine

Ukraine's pro-western president Viktor Yushchenko yesterday ordered an investigation into possible vote-rigging after his arch-rival, prime minister Viktor Yanukovich, drew ahead in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

With 85% of the votes counted, Mr Yanukovich's Party of the Regions appeared to have won 32.86% of the vote, the central election commission in Kiev said - just ahead of the orange block, led by Yulia Tymoshenko, with 31.7%.

On Sunday night Ms Tymoshenko had claimed victory. She said she would lead an orange coalition with Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party, on 14.81%. Exit polls suggested the two orange blocks had a narrow but viable parliamentary majority.

Yesterday, however, Mr Yanukovich insisted that he was the real winner. Addressing thousands of supporters bussed into Kiev's Independence Square he declared: "We have won. I am confident that yet again we will be forming a government of people's trust."

Mr Yushchenko said he was ordering an inquiry into why polling areas in Ukraine's east - Mr Yanukovich's industrial heartland - delayed sending in their results.