KIEV - Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich pressed rival Yulia Tymoshenko to concede defeat yesterday after a narrow victory in a presidential election that could tilt the ex-Soviet state back towards Moscow. With 98.4 percent of votes counted, official figures gave ex-mechanic Yanukovich, whose party is allied to the Kremlin’s United Russia, a margin of 2.8 percentage points over firebrand Prime Minister Tymoshenko, meaning she could not overtake him. Tymoshenko, who called supporters onto the streets in 2004 to overturn a previous Yanukovich election win that was ruled fraudulent, was uncharacteristically quiet on Monday, postponing a planned news conference until the following day. Her supporters alleged numerous violations of electoral law in Sunday’s runoff vote but election officials and monitors said they had not seen serious faults.

International observers headed by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) endorsed the poll as an “impressive display” of democracy and called on Ukraine’s feuding political leaders to “listen to the people’s verdict”. The OSCE verdict was almost tantamount to a call by the international community for Tymoshenko to accept the fight was over. Central Election Commission officials said the votes still left to be counted were likely to increase Yanukovich’s victory margin slightly - but the victorious candidate still faced a daunting array of hurdles. Western investors and Ukraine’s powerful neighbour Russia reacted cautiously to the election outcome, aware that a prolonged period of uncertainty over the result could hurt the country’s sickly economy even more.

The official results signalled a comeback for the rough-hewn Yanukovich, 59, and widespread disillusionment among Ukrainians that the “Orange Revolution” democracy movement of 2004 has not delivered the hoped-for prosperity and stability. Reversing current President Viktor Yushchenko’s pro-Western, anti-Moscow course, Yanukovich has promised to give the Russian language official status alongside Ukrainian. He called for a “historic partnership” with Moscow in a speech to the Kremlin’s ruling party congress in November last year and has backed Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev’s proposals for a new security architecture in Europe to replace NATO. Yanukovich urged his 49-year-old rival on Sunday night to resign as prime minister.