Pro-Europe parties in the lead in Ukraine’s parliamentary vote

Two parties considered pro-European were in the lead in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Ukraine, according to partial tallies, the Associated Press reported Monday.

President Petro Poroshenko said he wanted Western-oriented parties to form a coalition to initiate reforms.

With more than half the votes counted, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Popular Front had 21.6 percent of the vote. Poroshenko’s party had 21.5 percent. And the newly formed pro-European Samopomich party appeared to be coming in third with 11 percent of the vote.

The vote replaces a parliament that once had a majority of supporters of former President Viktor Yanukovych, who wanted to deepen ties with Russia over the European Union. He was ousted after massive protests in February.

Efforts to strengthen ties with the European Union still face challenges, including Ukraine’s weakened economy, Russia’s resistance to Kiev’s moves to strengthen those ties, and delicate ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine.