Ukraine election set to give majority to president Viktor Yanukovych's party

The Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych's party appears to have won parliamentary elections that were tainted by the jailing of the top opposition leader, according to preliminary results.

Despite a strong showing by pro-western opposition parties, Yanukovych's Regions party seems set to retain its parliamentary majority, with its candidates leading in individual races across the country.

With the former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in jail and widespread fears of election fraud, the west is paying close attention to the vote in the ex-Soviet state, which lies between Russia and the European Union and serves as a key conduit for the transit of Russian energy supplies to many EU countries.

By Monday morning votes had been counted at 30% of polling stations nationwide, and Yanukovych's party was ahead with 37% in the proportional share of the vote. It was also poised to win about 115 of the 225 seats allocated in individual races, meaning loyalists to the president are likely to hold a majority in the 450-seat parliament.

International observers will issue their verdict on the fairness of the vote later on Monday. If the election is deemed undemocratic it could stall Kiev's efforts to join the EU and push it towards Moscow.

"We believe that this is an indisputable victory," said the prime minister, Mykola Azarov, after the polls closed on Sunday. "Above all, it shows the people's trust in the course that is being pursued."

With Yanukovych under fire over the jailing of Tymoshenko, his main rival, and rampant corruption and slow reforms, the opposition appears to have made a strong showing. The early results show Tymoshenko's party had about 20% of the vote, the pro-western Udar party led by the boxing champion Vitali Klitschko had 13% and the far-right Svoboda party 8%. The Communist party, Yanukovych's traditional allies, appeared to have won about 15% of the vote.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, aTymoshenko ally, said: "This clearly shows that the people of Ukraine support the opposition, not the government."

Opposition parties alleged widespread violations such as vote-buying and multiple voting on election day, but an independent local election monitor said it remained to be seen whether the violations would significantly affect the overall elections results. Authorities insisted the election was honest and democratic.

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