Ukrainian election officials declared Viktor Yushchenko the official winner of a presidential rerun vote

Ukrainian election officials declared Viktor Yushchenko the official winner of a presidential rerun vote, paving the way for the pro-Western hero of the "orange revolution" to be inaugurated as the third president of an independent Ukraine. "During the repeat election of December 26, Viktor Yushchenko has been elected president of Ukraine," central election commission chief Yaroslav Davydovich announced to applause and cheers at the end of nearly a seven-hour meeting in Kiev. According to final results, the opposition leader Yushchenko won the election with 51.99 percent of the vote compared to 44.20 percent received by former prime minister Viktor Yanukovich, a difference of 2.27 million votes on turnout of 77.19 percent, the central election commission announced. The announcement of the final results paves the way for parliament to set a date for Yushchenko's inauguration, despite vows by his defeated rival to keep up a legal challenge over the election. Yanukovich has said he will appeal the official results to the supreme court once they are announced, although even he has admitted that the justices are unlikely to satisfy his complaints.