Klitschko declines to run for presidency

Ukrainian ex-world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko has announced he will not run for president and will instead throw his support behind billionaire businessman Petro Poroshenko.

Mr Klitschko told a congress of his UDAR party that he plans to run for mayor of the capital city, Kiev.

His endorsement will prove a valuable boost for Mr Poroshenko, who played a prominent role in the protest movement that led to the toppling last month of president Viktor Yanukovych.

Mr Poroshenko, the owner of a major confectionery company and a former foreign minister, already leads in the polls for the May 25 presidential election and is seen as likely to beat ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who announced her candidacy this week.

The Kiev mayoral election is also scheduled for May 25.