Gap between Yanukovych, Tymoshenko exceeds 11% after counting 75% of vote
KYIV. Jan 18 (Interfax) - Latest figures from Ukraine's Central Elections Commissions (CEC) suggest that Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych leads with a deficit that exceeds 11% in the presidential election with 75% of votes counted.
Yanukovych garnered 35.96% of votes with his closest rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, picking up 24.68%. Businessman and politician Sergiy Tigipko is third with 13%.
6.96% of voters opted for leader of the Front of Change Arseniy Yatsenyuk and 5.24% for incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko.
The Communist Party leader Petro Simonenko collected 3.56% of the vote, Rada speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn 2.36%, nationalist leader Oleh Tyahnybok 1.4%, and Anatoly Grytsenko 1.2%. Inna Bohoslovska sits in tenth position with 0.42% of the vote.
2.21% of ballots were left blank.
A total of 18 candidates took part in the January 17 election.