Ukrainians Vote for President as Unrest Cuts East Turnout
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Ukrainians are voting in a presidential election the government is counting on to help unify the nation as deadly separatist violence dents turnout in its easternmost provinces.
Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. today across the nation of more than 40 million and close at 8 p.m., when exit polls are due. Chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko leads his closest rival, ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, by 36 percentage points in the field of 21 candidates, polls showed. Turnout was 41.2 percent at 3 p.m., the Election Commission in Kiev said, though most polling stations in Donetsk and Luhansk remained shut.