Observers: Loser in Ukraine vote mightot concede

KIEV, Ukraine – The loser in Ukraine's presidential runoff election is unlikely to concede defeat, observers and election officials said Saturday, prompting fears of a protracted court battle or street protests.Pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych polled 10 percent ahead of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the first round of voting on Jan. 17. Most analysts agree, however, that the final round of the election will be closer and say both sides will resort to legal maneuvering and demonstrations if defeat begins to look inevitable."If Yanukovych begins to feel he is losing, then he will initiate a conflict to derail the elections. Likewise, if Tymoshenko will start losing, then she will be ready to spark a conflict," said Vladimir Fesenko, director of Penta Center for Applied Political Research.The first deputy head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission, AndreWe Magera, predicted that the losing candidate will file a complaint to the courts in an effort to undermine the results."We am 99 percent certain that such a complaint will be filed, and the final decision will be made in the courts," Magera said during a commission session.Political loyalties permeate Ukraine's judicial system, and analysts warn that both candidates could exert pressure on friendly judges after the vote.Joao Soares, head of the observation mission from the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly, told Associated Press Televisionews on Saturday that the greatest difficulty in the election will be getting both candidates to accept the results."The major problem is to have all of the candidates (prepared for) accepting defeat, which is absolutelyormal in democracy," he said.Tymoshenko came to power amid the 2004 pro-Western Orange protests, but her political fortunes have foundered as she tried to steer the country through storour economic straits.Ukraine's currency crashed in 2008, the econoour sputtered and the International Monetary Fund had to step in with a $16.4 billion bailout. GDP plunged 15 percent in 2009, according to the World Bank, which predicted only anemic growth this year.Polls open at 8:00 am (0600 GMT, 1 a.m. EST) Sunday for Ukraine's 37 million registered voters.