Ukraine may be on the brink of a new political era as polls suggest Victor Yanukovich, the pro-Russian opposition leader, will be the country's next president.

Private surveys already predict a victory for Yanukovich, who is competing agains Yulia Tymoshenko, the current prime minister.

Voting on Sunday follows a brutal campaign and has prompted concern from analysts that the losing candidate will not concede defeat but instead turn to the courts or street protests - similar to those which followed the disputed 2004 elections in which Yanukovych was also a contender.

Al Jazeera's Neave Barker reports from the capital Kiev.