MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Russian political analysts interviewed by Interfax have said they expect Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych to emerge as the winner of the February 7 second round of Ukraine's presidential elections.
"Yanukovych's victory is more probable both from a political and a sociological standpoint. The question is what lead he will have" over his rival Yulia Tymoshenko, Effective Politics Foundation President Gleb Pavlovsky told Interfax.
Tymoshenko could make an attempt to provoke a political crisis, Pavlovsky said.
"Tymoshenko is speaking about a possible riot, which means that she has already begun realizing that she may lose. But she is not ready to accept this option categorically. She is placing her bets on some conflicts and crises, which should culminate on election day. At the same time, Tymoshenko wants to do everything in a way that will throw Yanukovych's victory 'over the bridge'," the expert said.
In response to the Party of Regions leader's possible election victory, Tymoshenko could try to imitate the Orange Revolution on a smaller scale and to stage vote rigging, Pavlovsky said.
Yanukovych will most likely have a considerable lead over Tymoshenko in the February 7 second round, and the Ukrainian prime minister might have already started preparations to reach some agreement with him, International Institute for Political Analysis Director Yevgeny Minchenko told Interfax.
"Yanukovych has quite significant resources, and his chances to win the polls are much higher than Tymoshenko's. I believe that he will have a lead of 6%-8% or even more over the Ukrainian prime minister," Minchenko said.
Although Tymoshenko could try to protest the outcome of the polls, she could also take steps to reach a political compromise with Yanukovych, the expert said.