橙色革命后乌克兰总统选举

Ukrainians headed for polling stations to vote in a presidential election, seen as crucial to the nation's future. This is the first such ballot since the Orange Revolution in 2004. About 18 contenders are vying for the presidency, giving voters some tough choices.

"I don't know who to vote for. I will decide once I'm inside the polling station."

"I think the new president would improve the economic situation and our image in the world, because what's happening now between the president and the prime minister is a comedy, and the whole world is laughing at us."

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is among the front-runners in the election; opinion polls suggest it is unlikely to see President Viktor Yushchenko returns to power. In a historical irony, opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appears the favorite. His rigged election in 2004 triggered the mass street protests that swept pro-Western Yushchenko to power. Analysts are predicting a run-off vote next month. But there could be some surprises. Some opinion polls have put Ukraine's former central bank chief Sergey Tigipko in second place. Whoever wins will face the prospect of reviving the nation's shattered economy and taking control of collapsing state finances. The outcome is crucial to Ukraine's relations with the European main stream and with Russia, on whom it depends heavily for energy.

Paul Chapman, Reuters.

Glossary [only for reference]

 head [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]: to go or travel towards a particular place, especially in a deliberate way
ballot [uncountable and countable]: a system of voting, usually in secret, or an occasion when you vote in this way

Orange Revolution: a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter intimidation and direct electoral fraud.

vie [intransitive]: to compete very hard with someone in order to get something

image [countable]: the opinion people have of a person, organization, product etc, or the way a person, organization etc seems to be to the public

comedy [countable]: something that is intended to make people laugh

front-runner [countable]: the person or thing that is most likely to succeed in a competition

opinion poll [countable]: the process of asking a large group of people the same questions in order to find out what most people think about something

irony [uncountable and countable]: a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true

sweep [intransitive and transitive]: to win an election easily and in an impressive way

prospect [singular]: a particular event which will probably or definitely happen in the future - used especially when you want to talk about how you feel about it