Yanukovych back in the saddle? by Zuzana Zelenakova

It seems that leader of the Ukrainian opposition Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovych has improved his public image in the eyes of the country´s inhabitants as he beat his rival Yulia Timoshenko in the 2010 presidential election runoff on Sunday. Surveys made immediately after the end of the voting claim Mr. Yanukovych is almost four percent ahead of Prime Minister Tymoshenko. This could be a remarkable comeback for Viktor Yanukovych who lost the presidential seat in 2004 elections due to allegations of electoral fraud, that subsequently led to the protest known as the Orange Revolution. The second round of the 2004 elections was annulled by the Supreme Court of Ukraine! and in the repeated election Viktor Yanukovych being marked by the scandal lost to Viktor Yushchenko. His controversial political past is not without consequences as Yulia Timoshenko is most unwilling to give up claiming alleging another fraud on the part of her opponent´s campaign. "The exit polls... are mere sociology," she says defiantly. "So long as the last count is not made, it is impossible to talk about any kind of results." According to her, voting boxes in Eastern Ukraine were filled with fake votes for her opponent and her campaign will collect valid evidence. The head of the independent Voters Committee of Ukraine, Oleksandr Chernenko stated that there were some discrepancies, however, these were insufficient to result in repeated runoff. He added that both sides were involved in practices like busing of voters to particular election districts. If Mr. Yanukovych succeeds in the election he will replace in the presidential seat the very man that beat him in! 2004. Viktor Yushchenko, who became the hero of the Orange Re! volution dropped in the first round back in January. With Ukraine being swept by the economic crisis he gradually lost the trust of people, who also expected that he would bring the country into NATO and more importantly the European Union.

related story (sgx16390): http://www.france24.com/en/20100207-yanukovich-wins-ukraine-...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

SigEx Ventures's matrix of properties are quickly becoming leaders in digital telebroadcasting, free content delivery allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, vid! eo blogs and SMS. SigEx Ventures invests in projects deploying "free" to add-on royalty revenue models