By Iryna Piontkivska, Economist at Troika Dialog Ukraine
The Central Election Committee officially announced the results of the presidential elections on February 14, confirming that Viktor Yanukovych is the new president-elect.
According to the official results, Yanukovych secured about 48.95% of the votes, while current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko lagged with about 45.47%.
A day before the announcement, Tymoshenko held a public address, stating that she did not accept the results due to election process violations that were documented by her allies (who have obtained court orders initiating ballot recounts in some locations in Crimea).
Tymoshenko mentioned that she would not initiate any massive protests, but will fight to obtain fair results through legal means for the sake of the country's stability and the protection of democracy.
Following the official announcement of election results, the Tymoshenko camp is set to appeal to the Higher Administrative Court. The court hearings may delay the inauguration of the new president-elect (which is to take place within 30 days after the official results announcement), but it is unlikely to significantly change the final election outcome.
Should the court proceedings prove that there were violations of electoral procedures in some locations, it would strengthen the democratic foundations in the country, even though Yanukovych's victory would be tainted, thus complicating the pro-presidential coalition negotiations in the Rada. The latter is the key to forming a new government loyal to Yanukovych.
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