Exit polls put president's party in third

The likely victor said his party would work 'with any political party.'
WASHINGTON POST
KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's party was beaten into a humiliating third place in parliamentary elections Sunday as the pro-Russian party of the man he defeated for the presidency 16 months ago appeared headed for a clear victory, according to exit polls.
The Party of Regions, led by Viktor Yanukovych, who was defeated by Yushchenko in 2004 after massive street protests known as the Orange Revolution, secured a commanding 33.3 percent of the vote, according to one exit poll. A second poll gave his party 27.5 percent.
"Our victory will open a new page in the history of Ukraine," Yanukovych said Sunday night. "We are ready to work together with any political party."
Official preliminary results are not expected until today.
A shift in strategy?
Weeks of haggling on the composition of a new coalition government is likely, but with Yanukovych, a Kremlin favorite, at the helm, Ukraine's strategic direction is likely to shift away from the West and back into the welcoming embrace of Moscow.
Yanukovych, who has criticized Yushchenko's stated desire to join NATO, is open to resurrecting an economic union among Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
No to NATO
"Ukraine will never join NATO," Taras Chornovil, the No. 4 figure on the Party of Regions list, said in an interview Sunday night. In Ukraine, voters choose a party list, not individual candidates, and the party decides which of its members on the list enter parliament
Chornovil said strains in the relationship between Ukraine and Russia were "absolutely artificial" and created by Yushchenko's policies. He said the Party of Regions would seek to repair rifts with Russia, which climaxed earlier this year with a fight over the price of natural gas.