The ruling Party of Regions, headed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, is leading in the parliamentary elections in Ukraine with 28.1 percent of the party-list vote, according to an exit poll by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.

Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna party was the second with 24.7 percent of the party-list vote. Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) led by the world-famous boxer Vitaly Klitschko, was the third with 15.1 percent of the vote.

Over 5,000 candidates were contesting for 450 seats in parliament, with half of the deputies to be elected on party-list vote and the other half in single-mandate constituencies.

Polls closed at 8.00 pm [18:00 GMT] on Sunday. According to the Central Election Committee, 54.07 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. Preliminary results will be announced on Monday morning.