Ukraine Women have millions more votes than the men

[SteveH]

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/55435/

They may be happily married, yet they are courting other men and women on the campaign trail  at least for their votes.

Presidential candidates know there is a disparity between men and women in Ukraine and exploit the gender gap to rake in more votes. In a nation of 46 million people, ladies outnumber gentleman by roughly four million  a number worth fighting for at the ballot box.
Tymoshenko is far more popular with women. Of her supporters, 62 percent are women.

Men are just afraid of her, said Ludmyla Filipovych from the Institute of Philosophy.
She`s not just sexy, but also [deadly] like mercury and very smart. Despite all her dresses, skirts and rosy broaches, she is an image of a modern emancipated woman.
She won`t appeal to men because they generally want to see us weak, helpless, somewhat silly, pregnant and in the kitchen.

[P-N]

It could get quite interesting.......although, ultimately this election is just a popularity contest as there are no "issues or manifesto's" being discussed........but looking at the numbers averaged out from all the recent  polls.......the run off between Yanukovych and Tymoshenko could be very close if those who do not vote for Yanukovych in the first round vote for Tymoshenko in the second.

That will have little to do with Tymoshenko of course, but more to do with not voting for Yanukovych for many......and any attempts they may make to stop him winning by voting Tymoshenko in the second round........a lesser of the two evils for many as far as mentality goes, I suspect.

The outcome of this election will come down to West and Central/North Ukraine......as the East and the South will vote overwhelmingly for Yanukovych.

Ultimately, how much do the North/Central and Western Ukraine dislike Yanukovych.......rather than like Tymoshenko?

There are too many circus acts in the ring at the moment to really predict the outcome of Round 2.......other than to say that Round 2 will be Yanukovych and Tymoshenko.

Personally, I think Yanukovych will cross the line first (at the moment)......but the few weeks between Round 1 and 2 will be interesting......not by way of policy statements.......but changing public opinion.

Of course, the upside to the vote on 7th February for Round 2 is that on 8th February, Depeche Mode are playing in Kyiv. 

[David Rochlin]

I agree that Yanukovych has the edge and the momentum.  The only thing dragging him down is history.  Here is a man who has shown a distintive talent for making the least out of an opportunity, at least when it comes to his opportunities to rise from regional politics.
A lot of his former supporters seem to have lost their confidence in him, over the years.  It's hard not to support the front runner, but his backing by the oligarchs is surprisingly anemic for the favorite.
This is also partly, because Tymoshenko has relentlessly undermined the business interests of Yanukovich supporters for years and they are wary of the cost.
Even the Kremlin-based midget prefers Tymoshenko, these days.