She charges she was jailed on orders of her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovych. Less than three years after winning election, Yanukovych has seen his approval rating dwindle to 13 percent.
But his ruling Party of Regions is expected to get enough votes Sunday to form a parliamentary majority with the Communist Party of Ukraine.
A divided opposition
Olexiy Haran, a political scientist with Kyiv Mohyla University, explains why.
"It's the oppression of freedom of press," he says. "It's the pressure on independent TV channel. It's the pressure on opposition. It's bribery. It's the use of so-called administrative resources, direct interference in the campaign."
University student Vyacheslav, 22, says he is going to vote for Tymoshenko's opposition party. "[I will vote for] Yulia Tymoshenko, because I don't like Yanukoych and his party, and I don't like the political situation in my country" he said. "And I hope that it will be better in the future."
After years of political paralysis and an economy growing this year by only 1 percent, many Ukrainians have lost faith in politicians.
Julia,27, an office manager, says that some of her friends will vote Sunday "against all." Interviewed on Kyiv's Maidan square, the site of the 2004 democracy protests now remembered as the "Orange Revolution," she said, "This year, I don't think that everyone will go for voting, because people were disappointed with our last elections."
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25