After the candidates had traded their final insults and made their concluding speeches, election campaigning came to an end in Ukraine on Saturday, 24 hours before presidential polls.
With former premier Viktor Yanukovych expected to win the first round of voting, after which he is likely to face a run-off against current premier Yulia Tymoshenko, pro-Western incumbent Viktor Yushchenko's time in office would seem to be over.
Yushchenko, who came to power after the 2004 Orange Revolution, which was triggered by allegations of fraud after Yanukovych was declared the winner of later discredited elections, is currently struggling to reach single figures in opinion polls.
Years of bitter political infighting has left many Ukrainians disillusioned by the Orange Revolutionaries, and Tymoshenko has turned her back on the man who promised to lead Ukraine to a brighter future following the tumultuous events of 2004-2005.
Both Yanukovych and Tymoshenko have pledged to improve ties with Russia, soured over Kiev's NATO bid, gas disputes and the former Soviet republic's support for Georgia in the August 2008 war over South Ossetia.
Yanukovych has indicated he would follow Russia in recognizing the former Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia if elected, and has also criticized attempts to blame Russia for the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine.
Ex-economics minister Serhiy Tyhypko has also been tipped as a dark horse in the race, with Russian pollster VTsIOM putting him in second place, slightly ahead of Tymoshenko in opinion polls.
While Tymoshenko and Yanukovych may agree that Ukraine needs closer and better ties with neighbor Russia, they clearly have a deep antipathy toward one another.
Yanukovych refused to meet Tymoshenko in a televised debate ahead of the polls, saying on Friday, "I have been debating with Tymoshenko for five years. In those five years she has not once told the truth either to me or the country as a whole."
He also accused the country's leaders of acting like "beggars" by seeking IMF loans to help the country out of dire financial straits.
Tymoshenko, who has said she will seek European Union membership for Ukraine if elected, attacked Yanukovych on Friday over what she said was his poor level of education, saying a person "who does know the difference between Austria and Australia" was not fit to lead a European state.
She has also accused Yanukovych of plotting to falsify Sunday's vote, calling on her supporters to stage mass protest if this proves the case.
Just over 37 million Ukrainians are eligible to vote in the polls. A total of 18 candidates are running for election.
KIEV, January 16 (RIA Novosti)
