"Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday ordered a three-week closure of Ukraine's schools and cinemas in the toughest measures adopted yet to combat the swine flu virus in Europe.
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The prime minister on Saturday held a mass outdoor rally in the center of Kiev attended by tens of thousands of people to mark her party's confirmation of her candidacy in the presidential race.
President Viktor Yushchenko, Tymoshenko's political arch-rival who is also standing in the elections, was due to hold his own rally on Sunday but it is now unclear whether this can go ahead."
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The virus is spreading across Eastern Europe, but it was not clear why Ms. Tymoshenko chose to undertake stronger moves, like closing schools nationwide, than her counterparts in Russia and Poland.
There were indications, however, that the government’s response was being influenced by electoral politics. Ms. Tymoshenko, one of the leading candidates, and her bitter rival, President Viktor A. Yushchenko, who is far behind in polls in his bid for re-election, both sought to make clear that they were aggressively addressing the outbreak."
"Campaigning for the hotly contested presidential contest in January has also been put off. Observers said the far sweeping moves to combat the flu are partly rooted in the political rivalry between Victor Yushchenko, president, and Yulia Tymoshenko, his prime minister, with each trying to outdo the other and be seen assertively handling the outbreak."
