Ukrainian and Russian political scientists call Tymoshenko's result in second round successful

Kyiv, February 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian and Russian political scientists have said the result gained by presidential candidate and Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko in the second round of the presidential election was successful.

Political scientist and the director of the Kyiv center for political studies and conflictology, Mykhailo Pohrebinsky, said this at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

"This is a fantastically successful result for the premier after the crisis. Moreover, not just a crisis, as our country is in a more difficult situation that any other country can even imagine. And who has to be responsible for this? Of course, the premier, but at the same time [she had] such a good result," Pohrebinsky said.

The director of the Penta center for Applied Political Research, Volodymyr Fesenko, agreed with Pohrebinsky and added that "Tymoshenko always had from 5% to 7% of more of the vote at the finish compared to the election polls."

"Such a small gap is a sensation and almost nobody expected this. A mobilization strategy of Tymoshenko came into action – to come and to vote against [presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych] and this came into action, those who didn't want to see Yanukovych as president came and voted. This was a vote not for Tymoshenko, but against Yanukovych," the political scientist said.