KIEV, February 8, 2010: Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich’s lead in Sunday’s presidential run-off has shrunken to 2.59 percentage points, with 85.02 percent of the ballots counted, according to results published by the Ukraine Central Election Committee Monday morning.

Yanukovich, a 59-year-old former prime minister, won 48.48 percent of the vote, while incumbent Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was supported by 45.86 percent of the voters. Earlier in the day, Yanukovich enjoyed a lead of over 4 percentage points.

Yanukovich, favored by exit polls as the winner of the election, said on Sunday night that Tymoshenko could start to prepare for her resignation from the post of prime minister.

“I think that Yulia Vladimirovna (Tymoshenko) should be preparing for resignation. She understands this well. In any case I think that such an offer will be made to her,” he said.

There has been increasing evidence that loser of the election would not concede defeat and might take supporters to street protests. The candidates have traded allegations of election violations.

If elected, Yanukovich will become the country’s fourth president since the former Soviet Union republic won independence in 1991.