Victory for pro-Russian candidate in first round of Ukrainian election

The arch-enemy of Ukraine's pro-democracy movement won a first-place finish in the initial round of presidential voting, setting him up for a showdown with the heroine of the 2004 Orange Revolution, exit polls showed.

The surveys predicted that pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych will finish first in the hard-fought campaign.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will finish second, clearing the path for a runoff between the pair next month, polls showed.

The vote appeared to be a repudiation of the Orange revolt by voters weary of endemic corruption and economic mismanagement, though the country's leading poll predicted a closer race than expected.

The two leading candidates stood on opposite sides of the barricades during the peaceful mass demonstrations that kicked out a reputedly corrupt government in 2004.

Mr Yanukovych, then-prime minister, was a presidential candidate with the backing of the Kremlin.

Ms Tymoshenko and the Orange forces swarming the streets denounced Russian interference in his initial victory, which was eventually overturned amid allegations of fraud.

Today, both say they will abandon efforts to join Nato and pledge to repair ties to Russia, the region's dominant power.

The National Exit Poll, the country's leading poll, had Mr Yanukovych leading Ms Tymoshenko by less than five percentage points, a far weaker advantage than he has been counting on.

The poll also showed disillusioned voters handing a humiliating defeat to current President Viktor Yushchenko, who led the Orange Revolution alongside Ms Tymoshenko in 2004, but mustered only 6% of the vote in the National Exit Poll, putting him in fifth place.

Mr Yushchenko was taken to hospital with a massive dose of the chemical dioxin during the 2004 race that preceded the Orange Revolution, and his poison-scarred face became a symbol of defiance to tyranny for millions around the world.

But during his five-year term he came to be seen as an ineffective leader when he failed to curb corruption and modernise Ukraine's economy.