I can see George Dubya now, puckering his lips and squirming in his seat.Former pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych appears to have taken the largest vote share.

With more than 35% of the vote counted, election commission officials put Mr Yanukovych's party in the lead with 26.4%, closely followed by Ms Tymoshenko's party with 23.9%.

The president's party trails in third place with 16.6%.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have described the election as "free and fair".Now, the US can't claim it was rigged.A victory for Mr Yanukovych - who was written off a year ago - would be a dramatic comeback.

He was declared the winner of the presidential election in November 2004, but allegations of widespread vote-rigging sent hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians out on to the streets to demand change.

In what became known as the Orange Revolution, the election result was overturned and Mr Yushchenko went on to win a re-run.

If confirmed, the results would be a humiliating blow for Mr Yushchenko [and his US supporters] . . .

"Today's victory is a revelatory moment for both myself and the Party of Regions," he said.

"It has shown that despite everything, the people have managed to show their great support of our political force."

Mr Yanukovych said he would support ties with the European Union, as well as mending Ukraine's relationship with Moscow.Ah, the bitter taste of defeat!