(21 Nov 2004) SHOTLIST

1. Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych comes out of voting booth and places his ballot paper in box voting
2. Election observers, among them OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) observers
3. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian Prime Minister:
"I believe that reason will prevail, and the deliberation and tolerance of the Ukrainian people will do their part (in this election)."
4. Various of women looking at candidates on board
5. Wide shot interior polling station, man putting ballot in box
6. Mid shot observers talking
7. Wide shot interior polling station
8. Mid shot woman dropping ballot in box

STORYLINE

With polling stations now open across the country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych voted in Kiev in Sunday's presidential run-off election.

Voters are choosing between Yanukovych, who is widely seen as the Kremlin's favourite choice, and the Western-leaning reformer Viktor Yushchenko, in an election that many fear will erupt into unrest and violence.

Yanukovych said as he cast his ballot that "reason will prevail", and said he had faith the Ukrainian people "will do their part" in this election.

Yushchenko has called for a massive downtown rally on Sunday to conduct a "parallel vote count," a tacit expression of suspicions that the vote will be rigged for Yanukovych.

Yushchenko's detractors contend he aims to foment unrest as a tactic to seize power.

They point to a protest last month at the elections commission headquarters that turned into a melee.

In a nationally televised address on the eve of voting, departing President Leonid Kuchma declared "there will be no revolution," a clear warning to opposition candidate Yushchenko and his supporters.

A small trickle of voters, meanwhile, slipped their ballots into a glass box at voting stations across the capital.

They were outnumbered by international observers, but many still said they feared that the election would be unfair.

The vote comes after months of tension that included widespread opposition allegations of official interference, claims that Yushchenko was poisoned and a cliffhanger first-round vote.

Sunday's runoff could determine whether the ex-Soviet republic of 48 million pursues closer integration with the West or comes more into the Kremlin's sphere of influence.

But in the weeks leading up to the vote, such broad policy issues have been overshadowed by concerns about whether the voting will be free and the ballots counted accurately.

International figures, including US President George W. Bush, called on Ukrainian authorities this week for a credible vote.

The October 31 first round was riddled with complaints of voting irregularities and intimidation.

The Central Elections Commission took 10 days to announce the results, raising questions about its procedures.

The final count showed Yushchenko barely ahead of Yanukovych, each with slightly more than 39 percent of the vote, even though all previous partial tallies had put Yanukovych ahead.

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