According to the results of the opinion poll conducted by the Ukrainian Razumkov Center of Economic and Policy Studies, if presidential elections were held in March, 21.4% of respondents would vote for leader of Our Ukraine bloc Viktor Yushchenko. Yushchenko continues to enjoy the highest rating, which has been the case ever since he joined the opposition ranks, after Kuchma replaced him as PM.

Petro Symonenko, the leader of the Communist party has the second highest rating – 13.2%. 36.1% of respondents said that they would not vote for leader of Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine Natalija Vitrenko under any circumstances, 31.5% - for oppositional leader Yulija Tymoshenko, 27.2% - for SDPU(o) leader Viktor Medvedchuk.

37.3% of respondents are ready to vote for a candidate regardless of his belonging to the opposition or pro-presidential majority, while 28.4% want to support a representative of the opposition and 11.3% - a candidate from the majority.

Among candidates from the majority, the most possible winner of elections is PM Viktor Yanukovich. 19.1% of those who support candidates from the majority would vote for him, 17.2% - for Viktor Medvedchuk, 10% - for parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn. At the same time, 43.8% of all votes given for oppositional candidates belong to Viktor Yushchenko, 15.5% - to Petro Symonenko. 37.7% of respondents believe that Yushchenko should be a common candidate from the opposition, 20.2% - Symonenko, 10.6% - Tymoshenko.

(IntelliNews 24.iii.03)