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The Times

Tymoshenko refuses to concede defeat in bitter Ukraine elections

The battle for the presidency of Ukraine continued to hang in the balance today as Viktor Yanukovych edged closer to victory and his bitter rival Yuliya Tymoshenko refused to concede defeat.

Mr Yanukovych's lead over Ms Tymoshenko shrank to 2.4 percentage points this morning with 96 per cent of votes counted. Support for him was 48.39 per cent compared to 46 per cent for Ms Tymoshenko.

An official at the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Kiev predicted that Mr Yanukovych would remain the winner because the votes still to be counted came from his strongholds in the south and east. Analysts said that the narrowness of the victory would encourage Ms Tymoshenko to challenge the result. Click here for more.