From the Toronto Star:
Disillusioned Ukrainian voters gave the arch-enemy of the 2004 Orange Revolution a first-place finish in the initial round of presidential voting Sunday, setting up a showdown with the heroine of the Orange movement, an exit poll showed.
The survey predicts the pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych will finish first in the hard-fought contest and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will finish second, clearing the path for a runoff between the pair sometime next month.
The two candidates stood on opposite sides of the barricades during the peaceful mass demonstrations that kicked out a reputedly corrupt government in 2004, when Yanukovych had the backing of the Kremlin and Orange forces denounced Russian interference.
Today, both candidates say they will abandon efforts to join NATO and pledge to repair ties to Russia, the region’s dominant power.
