A glance at leading candidates in Ukraine presidential election

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A look at Ukraine’s top presidential contenders

VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH: The leader of the Party of the Regions, chief nemesis of the Orange Revolution, ran for president in 2004 with Russia’s backing and was declared winner. But his foes charged the election was rigged and paralyzed the capital with peaceful protests during the Orange Revolution. He ultimately lost a court-ordered revote to the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovych, who returned as prime minister for two years between 2006 and 2007, backs Moscow on issues ranging from trade to security. He is expected to win a plurality of votes, but not the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff. He is 59.

YULIA TYMOSHENKO: The current prime minister earned a fortune in the mid-1990s as chief of United Energy Systems of Ukraine, then the main natural gas importer from Russia. She joined the Orange forces in 2004, leading rallies in Kiev’s central square. But the Orange alliance fractured after 2004, amid recriminations and political maneuvering. Once a critic of Russia, Tymoshenko has won the favor of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Many voters blame her in part for Ukraine’s political paralysis and financial crisis. She is 49.

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SERGEI TIGIPKO: The wealthy financier was just another minor candidate in a crowded field before he launched an advertising blitz in the current contest, and now threatens to knock Tymoshenko out of the expected Feb. 7 runoff vote. Tigipko ran the first phase of Yanukovych’s 2004 presidential bid, but now is critical of Ukraine’s political elite. He is 49.

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VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO: The former central banker became prime minister in 1999, but was ousted two years later due to opposition to his economic reforms. After he threatened to pull off an upset in the 2004 presidential race, he was invited to dinner by the chief of Ukraine’s security agency. Following that meal, Yushchenko was hospitalized with what doctors say was acute dioxin poisoning. Yushchenko went on to win the court-ordered revote of the 2004 election. Over the past five years, he has failed to implement promised economic and political reforms. He is 55.