"Pro-European parties" lead in Ukraine election

"Pro-European parties" lead in Ukraine election

MOSCOW -- The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that the holding parliamentary elections in Ukraine provided "an opportunity for peace in the east."

However, a statement noted that a large number of "nationalists" in parliament could undermine this process, RIA Novosti reported.

The first results of the election showed that "pro-European parties" have a clear victory. The voting was the first parliamentary election held since the overthrow of the government of former President Viktor Yanukovych, Reuters reports.

According to preliminary results, after 22 percent of the votes counted pro-European parties have a convincing lead, said the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.

The National Front of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has a slight lead with 21.71 percent of the vote, and right behind is the block led by President Petro Poroshenko with 21.62 percent.

In third place is the party led by mayor of the town of Lvov Andrei Sadovy, with 10.49 percent, reports TASS.

Yuri Boyko's Opposition Block follows with 9.57 percent, the Radical Party has 7.69 percent, while the party led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has 5.90 percent of the votes.

These elections have not been held in Crimea which in March voted to become a member of the Russian Federation and in the war-torn Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east where the Ukrainian forces are fighting with pro-Russian rebels.