Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko hopes to start coalition talks

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko plans to start talks on forming a coalition after exit polls showed his bloc emerge strongest in the parliamentary polls.

He said talks may last up to 10 days.PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk's People's Front part could be a key partner, he added.Pro-Western parties look set to dominate parliament after the first legislative polls since the pro-Russian former President, Viktor Yanukovych, was driven from power in February.No votes were cast in two areas under control of pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine, with 27 parliamentary seats there and in Crimea - annexed by Russia in March - remaining vacant.Preliminary official results are expected later on Monday.Strong mandateHowever, exit polls indicated that President Poroshenko's bloc, comprising his own Solidarity Party and Udar, led by boxer Vitali Klitschko, was in the lead with about 23% of the vote."More than three-quarters of voters who took part in the polls gave strong and irreversible backing to Ukraine's path to Europe," Mr Poroshenko said in televised comments.He said that in order not to lose time, coalition consultations should start on Monday."We have these 10 days when we must create... the best government in Ukraine because no other government will cope with the challenges that the country is facing today," he added.At least 3,700 people have been killed since an insurgency in the east of Ukraine began earlier this year.Despite a truce agreed on 5 September, some 300 people have been killed in sporadic clashes between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists around Donetsk's airport.Correspondents say that the top three performing groups, including Poroshenko's and Yatsenyuk's blocs, are strongly pro-European and are likely to give the president a strong mandate to pursue democratic reforms and pursue efforts to end the conflict in the east.Mr Yatsenyuk's People's Front appeared to come second, polling in the region of 21%, while the Self Help Party, based in western Ukraine, was third with more than 13%, exit polls indicated.But parties linked to the government of former President Yanukovych or with close ties to Russia fell behind in the parliamentary polls.The Opposition Bloc, formed by allies of ousted Pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych, polled in fourth position with 8% of the vote.Meanwhile, the pro-Russian Communist Party failed to clear 5%, the polls said, and may be without representation in parliament for the first time.Varied turnoutThe exit polls only take into account voting for 225 of the 450 seats, with results from voting for single constituency seats likely to take longer to count.Some 3m people in separatist-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk were unable to vote. Leaders there say they will hold their own polls in the next month.The election comes amid an energy crisis, with Russia cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine in June in a dispute over unpaid bills.Ukraine vote map(BBC)Bakudaily.Az