Election protestors vow to stay put

The campaign for a third round of voting in Ukraine’s bitterly fought presidential contest officially opened today, with activists signing up to monitor the election and a top ally of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko speaking confidently of victory.

Lawmaker Yuliya Tymoshenko insisted Yushchenko would prevail against Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who is favoured by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and Russian President Vladimir Putin.