Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych is ahead of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by a two-to-one margin in the presidential election race. Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych is ahead of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by a two-to-one margin in the presidential election race, according to a survey carried out by Research & Branding Group.

The survey was held in 24 regions of Ukraine and Crimea on November 17-25, 2009. A total of 3,108 respondents participated in the survey. The poll's margin of error is 1.8%.

Some 32.4% of those polled are ready to support Yanukovych in the first round of the presidential election, 16.3% Tymoshenko, and 6.1% said they are ready to support Front for Change leader Arseniy Yatseniuk.

Some 7.5% of respondents said that they would vote against everybody, 4.3% would not go to the polling stations, and 15.9% were undecided.

If Yanukovych and Tymoshenko won through to the run-off, the former would have received 47.4% of the vote and the latter 28.1% of the vote.

Another 4.5% of Ukrainians said they would not go to the polling stations, and 7% were undecided.

Sociological experts from Research & Branding Group pointed to the high level of the readiness of Ukrainian citizens to participate in the presidential election, with 67% ready to vote and 19.7% who would most likely participate in the vote.