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Ukrainians head to polls for presidential run-off election

By KUNA,

Moscow : Millions of Ukranians went to polls on Sunday to vote in presidential run-off elections with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was racing against former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Polling stations opened at 8am (0600 GMT), with voting scheduled to last until 8 pm (1800 GMT).

Temperatures of minus 12 celsius and lower were reported across the former Soviet republic, a possible deterrent to voters.

A total 3,780 international election observers were monitoring polling at more 33,000 voting sites, according to the Central Election Commission.

In the run-up to the vote, Tymoshenko and Yanukovych in the run-up accused each other of preparing massive vote fraud.

Yanukovych defeated Tymoshenko by winning slightly more than 10 per cent of ballots cast in an initial voting round held on January 17.

That poll was free and fair, and generally in keeping with European standards, according to officials from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.