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Pro-European parties lead Ukraine poll

A woman holds her passport with a copy of an icon at a polling station during parliamentary elections in town of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014.Voters in Ukraine headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament, overhauling a legislature tainted by its association with ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) A woman holds her passport with a copy of an icon at a polling station during parliamentary elections in town of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014.Voters in Ukraine headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament, overhauling a legislature tainted by its association with ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

By Associated Press October 27, 2014 1 min read

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – With almost one-third of votes counted, two allied pro-European parties in Ukraine that ran on a platform to enact radical reforms have taken a joint lead in a parliamentary election.

Partial figures early Monday showed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Popular Front with 21.7 percent of the vote and President Petro Poroshenko’s party at 21.6 percent.

Poroshenko said after Sunday’s election that he wanted Western-oriented parties elected to quickly form a broad reformist coalition.

The vote has led to an overhaul of a parliament once dominated by loyalists of former President Viktor Yanukovych, who sparked the protests that caused his ouster with a decision to deepen ties with Russia.

Anti-Russian sentiment has spiked in Ukraine as the country battles with separatists in the east many believe are supported by Moscow.