KIEV, Ukraine, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Ukraine's election commission declared pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner of the contentious presidential election Wednesday.
CNN said the tally announced in Kiev listed Yanukovych with 49.46 percent of the vote while opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko was collected 46.61 percent of the tally.
The announcement drew groans and shouts from tens of thousands of opposition supporters surrounding the commission building in a third day of protests.
Yushchenko, a pro-Western liberal, has repeatedly claimed there was vote rigging and manipulation since Sunday's vote, and warned Tuesday the country could descend into civil war if the election results he called "a sham" are not annulled and he is not named president.
Riot police were on stand-by, but the situation has remained peaceful, the BBC reported.
Among Western leaders expressing dissatisfaction with the voting was the new head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.
"We regret that the Ukrainian authorities have not taken the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy," he said.
