KIEV, May 26 (RIA Novosti) – The turnout across 186 constituencies in Ukraine’s presidential election has reached 60.36 percent, as of 8 p.m. local time (5 p.m. GMT), the central elections commission said on its website Monday.
A total of 225 constituencies were created ahead of the presidential vote, although only 186 were open for polls on Sunday. There is no turnout threshold, so any result will be recognized.
The Western region of Lviv had the highest turnout, with 78.2 percent having cast their ballots by the time polling stations closed. Coming on its heels are the Ternopol region with 76.63 percent, Ivano-Frankivsk with 73.95 percent and Kharkiv with 48.12 percent.
The lowest turnout was registered in the eastern Ukrainian territories where a massive offensive is ongoing against the local anti-regime forces. Only eight of 22 electoral commissions were operating across the restive Donetsk area on Sunday, while Luhansk managed to open two out of a total of 12 constituencies.
In the country’s capital city Kiev, the turnout reportedly showed 62.86 percent.
The election in Ukraine ran off against a backdrop of a deep political rift and a massive military crackdown on the country’s east that has killed scores of civilians.
A total of 21 candidates ran for president. The central elections commission is still counting the returns, but billionaire confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko is largely predicted to win the poll. He is currently supported by 54.56 percent of votes against over 55 percent predicted by exit polls.
The national exit poll found Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko score 13.28 percent.
Third comes Oleh Lyashko of the Radical Party with 8.48 percent, followed by former Defense Minister Anatoly Grytsenko with 5.53 percent. Serhyi Tihipko scored 4.9 percent of the votes; Anatoly Grytsenko gained 6.3%; Serhiy Tihipko has 4.7 percent, while Mykhailo Dobkin of the Regions Party secured 3.25 percent of the votes.
