A Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate is in a Vienna

A Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate is in a Vienna hospital recovering from what his supporters say appears to be an attempt on his life by political enemies who poisoned him. Viktor Yushchenko, a former prime minister, stopped campaigning and flew to Vienna for treatment a week ago after being taken ill with what was first thought to be food poisoning and what turned out to be chemical poisoning, his aides said on Friday. Austrian doctors ran tests and found that Yushchenko's ill health was "due to a serious viral infection and chemical substances which are not normally found in food products," Oleksander Zinchenko, a senior aide, told a news conference. "There is enough evidence to say that it was an attempt on the life of presidential candidate Yushchenko," said Zinchenko, head of the candidate's campaign for October 31 presidential elections. "We are talking about not an ordinary case of poisoning, and not really about a bad case of poisoning. We are talking about things which are threatening the life of Viktor Yushchenko." In a separate statement, Yushchenko's supporters said they expected the authorities to resort to "strong-arm techniques" to ensure the victory of their candidate, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich. "A month before their ouster, the authorities are ready to launch any kind of attacks to ensure their survival, including the elimination of competitors," Yushchenko's team said.