Ukraine's Yanukovych pronounced official winner
Posted: 15 February 2010 0018 hrs

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KIEV : Ukraine's election commission Sunday proclaimed pro-Russian Victor Yanukovych the official winner of the presidential poll, even as his rival Yulia Tymoshenko vowed to contest the results in court.

"The central election commission declares Victor Yanukovych elected as the president of Ukraine," chairman Volodymyr Shapoval announced to applause in the commission's meeting hall.

The final results do not differ from preliminary figures announced on Wednesday.

Yanukovych had 48.95 percent of the vote, compared to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's 45.47 percent, and 4.36 percent of ballots were cast "against all" in a sign of disillusionment five years after the Orange Revolution.

According to Ukrainian law the inauguration of a new president must be held within 30 days of the official announcement of results.

"We will name the date of inauguration not later than tomorrow in the evening," a close ally of Yanukovych, lawmaker Borys Kolesnikov, said on television on Sunday.

Meanwhile Tymoshenko insists she has not been defeated and hopes to contest the final results in the supreme administrative court.

"We are certainly going to contest. The statement of claim will be given. I think on Monday or on Tuesday," Volodymyr Pylypenko, Tymoshenko's representative at the election commission, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Tymoshenko's lawyers have already prepared claims for lower administrative and appeal courts.

"In particular there are 43 cases in the Kiev court of appeals about the inaction of the central election commission in considering some complaints", Pylypenko added.

- AFP /ls