Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was today under pressure to concede defeat in the country’s presidential election after international observers hailed Sunday’s poll as fair and “truly competitive”.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said there were no indications of serious fraud and described the vote as an “impressive display” of democracy. “For everyone in Ukraine this election was a victory,” João Soares, president of the OSCE’s parliamentary assembly, said.

With 98.8% of the votes counted, the Russian-leaning opposition leader, Viktor Yanukovych, had a clear 2.9% lead over Tymoshenko. But Tymoshenko has refused to recognise her opponent’s victory, and according to local media reports, she has ordered her lawyers to challenge the result in court.

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