Polls opened on Sunday in Ukraine's presidential runoff, with Ukrainians having to choose between opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a bitterly fought election.
Yanukovych enjoys support of mainly Russian-speaking south-eastern regions. He won the first round of Ukraine's presidential elections on January 17 with 35% of vote against 25% by Tymoshenko.
However, a 10-point lead in the previous round does not guarantee a clear victory for Yanukovych because those Ukrainians who "spread" their vote among other candidates could now opt for Tymoshenko as the only "democratic" candidate.
Tymoshenko believes that she could gain support of those who voted for former central banker Serhiy Tyhypko, who came third in the first round, ex-parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk and incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko because they all share "similar ideology."
In an attempt to attract "free votes," she has offered Tyhypko the prime minister's post, but he did not openly accept the offer and said he was ready to be prime minister if either of the two candidates wins a runoff.
Meanwhile, the officials from the Yanukovych election headquarters are certain that the majority of Tyhypko and Yatsenyuk electorate will support their candidate or at least will not support either of the candidates.
According to Ukrainian analysts, Yanukovych has an advantage as an opposition candidate with a fair economic record during his premiership while Tymoshenko has to take responsibility for a current dire state of the Ukrainian economy.
Both presidential contenders have continuously exchanged accusations of fraud and preparations for provocative acts before the crucial runoff.
