Tymoshenko preparing to contest runoff results
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will not recognize opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych as president and has hinted that a third round of election could be held, a Ukrainian online edition said on Tuesday.
With 99.53% of ballots counted, Yanukovych snatched a narrow victory in the presidential runoff on Sunday with 48.82% of the vote against Tymoshenko's 45.60%. A simple majority of votes is required to win the runoff.
Tymoshenko earlier vowed to take her supporters to the street if she was not satisfied with the election. She postponed twice a news conference scheduled for Monday, finally moving it to Tuesday.
Referring to its sources, Ukrainskaya Pravda said Tymoshenko held a meeting of her parliamentary bloc late on Monday, where she said that she would "never recognize the legitimacy of Yanukovych's victory."
The prime minister also instructed her lawyers to prepare to contest the runoff results, and said that a third round of voting could be held as an option, the Ukrainian online paper said.
However, some of her party members voiced their support for Yanukovych as president and advised their leader to shift to the opposition.
