KIEV: Ukraine braced for a nail-biting run-off between two old rivals in presidential elections after the first round vote eliminated discredited Orange Revolution hero President Viktor Yushchenko.

Exit polls and partial results showed the election was led by pro-Russia politician Viktor Yanukovich, the man accused of rigging 2004 elections which sparked the Orange Revolution uprising that swept the old order from power.

Second place was set to go to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a former Orange Revolution comrade of Yushchenko who subsequently fell out with the president and adopted a more pragmatic tone on relations with Russia.

As Yanukovich failed to win a majority in Sunday's first round, the election will go to a second round on February 7 with all to play for between the two old foes who have savaged each other's reputation in the campaign.

The exit polls showed Yushchenko taking a miserable six percent of the vote, a reflection of Ukraine's frustration that the Orange Revolution failed to realise the dreams of those who protested in 2004.

Yanukovich was set to obtain 32 percent of the vote and Tymoshenko 27 percent, according to the initial results of an exit poll of Sunday's ballot organised by the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives.

Another poll by the Gfk-Ukraine organisation showed Yanukovich ahead on 35 percent and Tymoshenko on 26 percent.

Early official results, based on only 10.97 percent of the vote counted, put Yanukovich on 38.63 percent and Tymoshenko on 24.72 percent, the central election commission said. Turnout was 67 percent.

"If Tymoshenko is less than 10 percent behind then her chances of winning in the second round climb sharply," said analyst Igor Zhdanov of the Open Policy think tank.

The polls also showed a strong performance of around 13 percent from businessman Sergiy Tigipko who made a late campaign surge and whose electorate will now prove crucial in determining the second round outcome. Related article: Row over Georgian 'observers' inflames Ukraine vote

If confirmed, the exit polls represented good news for Tymoshenko as they indicate she has narrowed the gap on her main opponent compared with the last opinion polls before the New Year.

"Yanukovich, who represents criminal circles, has no chance" in the second round, said the prime minister at her post-election news conference, resplendent in a pure white costume.

Her opponent snapped back that Ukrainians had voted for change and said that Tymoshenko was "in despair".

The second round promises to be a gloves-off affair and analysts have warned of the risk of the result being taken to the courts and even once more sparking street protests.

The bitter campaign has already seen the shady pasts of the candidates once again dredged up.

Yanukovich was jailed twice in the Soviet era for theft and assault, though the convictions were erased in the late 1970s. Tymoshenko herself was briefly detained in 2001 on smuggling charges that were later quashed.

The 2004 Orange Revolution raised hopes of a new era free of Kremlin influence for the country of 46 million that would set a precedent for other former Soviet states.

But although Ukraine now boasts improved freedom of speech, steps to implement reform and end corruption were forgotten as government became paralysed in a bitter power struggle between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko. Related article: Ukrainians brave snow, cynicism to vote

Tymoshenko, famed for her peasant-style blonde hair braid, is seen as more in favour of EU integration than Yanukovich but has also played up her close ties to Russian strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Since 2004, Yanukovich has sought to reinvent himself with the help of Western PR strategists and to show he is not a servant of the Kremlin but a defender of Ukrainian interests.

He has also sought more support in the country's Ukrainian-speaking west -- traditionally the heartland of Tymoshenko and Yushchenko supporters -- while holding on to his powerbase in the Russian-speaking east.