Yanukovych declares victory in Ukrainian election

Pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych declared victory in Ukraine’s presidential run-off today, but his opponent rejected the claim, saying the vote was too close to call.

Exit polls showed Yanukovych – the main foe of protesters in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution – with a narrow lead in the vote over prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a key figure in those pro-democracy protests.