Pro - West parties secure big win in Ukraine election: partial vote count

Early figures from the vote count showed that Poroshenko’s bloc and the party of his ally, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, were both taking over ۲۱ percent of the votes cast from a field of ۲۹ competing parties.

Addressing Ukrainians two hours after polling ended on Sunday night, he thanked voters for backing a " democratic, reformist, pro - Ukrainian and pro - European majority ".

" The majority of voters were in favor of the political forces that support the president’s peace plan and seek a political solution to the situation in the Donbass, " Poroshenko said, referring to the region of the industrialised east where government forces have been fighting separatist rebels.

With more than a quarter of the vote counted, the central election commission gave the People’s Front of Yatseniuk a vote share of ۲۱.۶۷ percent fractionally ahead of Poroshenko’s bloc which was on ۲۱.۶۳ percent.

An earlier partial count and exit polls had put Poroshenko’s grouping slightly in the lead.

The result showed Poroshenko, a ۴۹ - year - old confectionery magnate, was now likely to continue working in close tandem with Yatseniuk, with the latter possibly staying on as prime minister to handle sensitive talks with the West on aid for the war - shattered economy.

Though a hawk in dealings with Russia, Yatseniuk is liked in the West for his commitment to deep reforms and astute stewardship of the economy which has been wrecked by the separatist conflict in the eastern regions.

The figures, which roughly confirmed earlier exit polls, put another pro - Europe party from western Ukraine in third place.

Poroshenko said the People’s Front was the " main partner " in any parliamentary coalition and talks to form the majority could begin on Monday. He wanted talks to be wrapped up quickly to form Ukraine’s " best government ".

But a surprise was the strong performance registered by allies of ousted president Viktor Yanukovich. The Opposition Bloc of ex - Fuel Minister Yuriy Boiko was on ۹.۶۲ percent, easily enough to put the party into parliament, according to the latest available figures from the count.

Though a fuller picture will not take shape for hours, it was clear a pro - Western assembly was emerging from the first parliamentary election since Yanukovich’s overthrow by street protests in February.

The count gave a partial read - out only of party voting for ۲۲۵ of the ۴۵۰ seats in parliament. Results from voting for single constituency seats will be known only in a few days time.

The election completed attempts by Poroshenko and his allies to restore normalcy to the sprawling country of ۴۶ million after a year of turmoil and violence.

The overthrow of Yanukovich by " Euromaidan " street protests, which broke out when he ditched a deal to take Ukraine closer to Europe and out of the Russian orbit, led to Russia denouncing a " fascist " coup and annexing Ukraine’s Crimea.

Moscow went on to back separatist rebellions in Ukraine’s industrialised east which have killed more than ۳,۷۰۰ people.

Despite the surprise showing of Boiko’s Opposition Bloc, other traditional allies of Russia such as the communists flopped and the make - up of the future pro - Europe assembly seemed likely to spell future tensions with Moscow with which Ukraine is also locked in a dispute over gas prices.

It will be the first time the communists have been out of parliament since Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in ۱۹۹۱.