Ukraine's "Chocolate King", Petro Poroshenko, has won a landslide victory in presidential elections regarded as the most important in the country's history, exit polls showed last night.
They gave the confectionary billionaire well over 50 per cent of votes, which would obviate a run-off that could prolong uncertainty in Ukraine, as its new western-backed government battles pro-Russian separatists in eastern regions.
The election appears to have been a disaster for Yulia Tymoshenko, the former premier who survived jail and outlasted her political nemesis Viktor Yanukovich, only to come a distant second with less than 15 per cent of votes.
Millions of Ukrainians hope for the swift appointment of a new president with a strong mandate, who could help stabilise the country after a February revolution that ousted Mr Yanukovich but only triggered a deeper crisis.
Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March, and then separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied official buildings in many towns, held an independence referendum and asked to join Russia. Rebel gunmen sabotaged the vote across much of the east, where dozens have been killed in clashes between separatists and government forces.
Devolution of powers Mr Poroshenko (48) said he would visit the east soon but would not negotiate with armed rebels. The government has said it is open to transferring broad powers to the regions and giving Russian special status.
“Our first step will focus on ending the war, chaos and disorder,” Mr Poroshenko said, adding he was willing to work with Moscow to end the crisis and “bring peace to a united Ukraine”. He also pledged to follow a staunchly pro-EU course, never to recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and to push for parliamentary elections this year.
Ms Tymoshenko called the ballot a “victory for Ukraine” in a time of “military aggression”, and said the new president would have “all instruments of power needed to stop the war immediately and fulfil all the hopes of Ukrainians”.
Kiev says Russia is fomenting unrest in the east with a barrage of anti-Ukrainian propaganda and the infiltration of “terrorists” into the country; Moscow denies the claims and insists Ukraine is in the throes of civil war.
Moscow unclear The Kremlin has given conflicting signals, sometimes saying the new president would be illegitimate, and at others pledging to work him, as the West threatened to impose tough new sanctions on Russia if it disrupted the ballot.
Separatists prevented all polling stations from opening in Donetsk, and said the new president would have no authority in their “people’s republic”. “The elections and the authorities in Kiev are not legitimate here,” said Donetsk man Oleg. “We want to be independent or join Russia, to save the economy and prevent more casualties [in fighting],” said his girlfriend, Natasha.
On the eve of the election, Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli (30) and his Russian assistant, Andrei Mironov, were killed near the rebel-held town of Slovyansk.
