PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed Victor Yanukovych's win in a presidential election -- still contested by rival candidate Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko -- as a victory for Ukrainian democracy.
In a statement issued by the Elysee Palace, Sarkozy said "the Ukrainian people has expressed its choice in the course of free, pluralist and democratic elections".
"This is a victory for Ukrainian democracy and a model for the whole of the region," the statement added.
Tymoshenko has refused to concede defeat and rejected calls from Yanukovych to stand down as prime minister.
