Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich was assured of victory in the just concluded presidential election vote with more than 99 percent of the vote counted, the country's central election commission said Monday.  

With votes counted from 99.14 percent of polling stations Yanukovich secured 49.42 percent of the vote, compared with 46.69 of his Western-leaning rival, Viktor Yushchenko, it said.

Earlier, the commission said Yanukovich had a lead of three percentage points over Yushchenko in the run-off.

The results came as Yushchenko addressed a crowd of some 10,000 supporters at the Independence Square in Kiev.

He accused the authorities of rigging the vote and urged his supporters to keep their vigil, while his ally called on Ukrainians to begin a general strike.

Earlier, exit polls, conducted by anonymous questionnaires under a program funded by several Western governments, including the United States, said the pro-West candidate Yushchenko led with 54 percent of the vote and Yanukovich trailed with 43 percent.

According to other reports, Yushchenko's supporters will hold a large-scale rally in the square.

Meanwhile, allies of Yanukovich claimed that the rally and other protesting movements are aimed to foment unrest and seize power.

On Sunday, Ukrainians began casting their ballots in the country's presidential run-off election, which pits pro-West opposition leader Yushchenko against Russian-backed Yanukovich.

The two candidates each won around 40 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential election held on October 31.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's personal envoy yesterday congratulated Yanukovich for winning Ukraine's presidential election, Interfax News Agency said.

"I have already congratulated Yanukovich for his victory," Boris Gryzlov, speaker of Russian Parliament's Upper House, said.

Ukraine's election commission has not published final results of the polls in which Western-leaning Viktor Yushchenko opposed Yanukovich, backed by the Ukrainian and Russian establishment.

Yesterday's dispute was the culmination of a rough-and-tumble campaign. Yanukovich accused the challenger of causing Ukraine's ills during his earlier stint as premier and Yushchenko fought back by branding the prime minister unfit for office because of convictions for theft and assault in his youth.

Yushchenko called for cancellation of results in districts of eastern Ukraine, where he said turnout had exceeded the number of voters on lists. He also demanded an emergency session of parliament.

Ukraine, while potentially an industrial and agricultural powerhouse, now borders three European Union states. But it remains outside the European mainstream and many of its 47 million people get by on an allegedly monthly salary of US$60 or less.

Yushchenko, 50, advocates liberal economics and a crackdown on corruption that he says pervades Ukrainian society. Yanukovich, 54, who favors greater state control in the economy, is backed by Putin and outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.

Putin's backing for Yanukovich shows the stakes are high for Russia that wants to keep its influence in its former empire after last year's election of a pro-Western leader in Georgia.

Yanukovich has yet to make a public statement since the polls closed on Sunday night.

During the October 31 first round vote, Yushchenko pushed Yanukovich into second place by a narrow margin.

(China Daily November 23, 2004)