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Ukraine's Orange Revolution allies say they are ready to form a government as exit polls suggest they have won a slim majority in the new parliament.

Combined votes for the parties of Yulia Tymoshenko and President Viktor Yushchenko give them a narrow lead over Russian-leaning PM Viktor Yanukovych.

But Mr Yanukovych has refused to accept defeat, pointing out that his party had emerged as the largest single group.

The snap election was the third national poll in three years.

It was called in an attempt to resolve a long-running power struggle between Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych.


I believe no-one can diminish or deny the victory Ukraine has scored
Yulia Tymoshenko

Q&A: Ukrainian election

Mr Yanukovych's party took 35.3% of Sunday's vote, with Ms Tymoshenko's bloc second on 31.5%, exit polls suggest.

The party of Mr Yushchenko's supporters won 13.5%, but is expected to form a coalition with Ms Tymoshenko.

The coalition horse-trading after last year's parliamentary elections took months and plunged Ukraine into political turmoil which helped trigger the latest snap poll.

Power struggle

Just over 60% of the 37.5m eligible voters cast their ballots, the electoral commission said.

PM Viktor Yanukovych on 1 October 2007
Mr Yanukovych refuses to yield defeat before official results
Celebrating the exit poll results, former PM Ms Tymoshenko, sporting her trademark braid, told reporters: "I believe no-one can diminish or deny the victory Ukraine has scored.

"Everything will work out. In a matter of weeks we will hold our first government news conference."

Mr Yushchenko's party, Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence (OU-PSD), struck a last-minute deal before the election to form a coalition with the Tymoshenko Bloc.

Under the deal, Ms Tymoshenko would become prime minister.

But as results were coming in, Mr Yanukovych refused to yield ground.

"This significant support from the Ukrainian people... gives carte blanche to the Party of Regions to form a new, successful government," he said.

His supporters are preparing to hold what they describe as a victory rally in Kiev.

Mr Yanukovych's power base is in the largely Russian-speaking south-east, while the Orange parties enjoy support in western and central regions.

Infighting

Mr Yanukovych could attempt to form a coalition with his allies in the Communist Party of Ukraine, which won 5.1% of votes, and with ex-parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn's bloc, which won 3.8%, according to the exit polls.


Ukrainian voters contemplate the aftermath of yet another election.

In pictures

But Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko together would still have enough of seats to secure at least 226 seats - a wafer-thin majority in the 450-seat parliament, exit polls suggest.

The pair led the 2004 pro-democracy street protests - dubbed the Orange Revolution - that swept them both to power.

But the relationship between OU-PSD and the Tymoshenko Bloc has been fraught over the past three years.

The president made Ms Tymoshenko his prime minister in 2005, but their government was brought down by infighting.

Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych were rivals in the 2004 presidential poll.

Mr Yanukovych won the initial poll, but the result was annulled over claims of mass vote rigging.

Orange-clad campaigners won a peaceful campaign for fresh elections and Mr Yushchenko triumphed in the re-run.

But Mr Yanukovych made a comeback as prime minister in March 2006 and the two enemies grudgingly shared power.