A court in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev...
Tymoshenko and Yanukovych are certain to face a close race in the runoff. In 2004, massive protests at the square were launched after fraudulent presidential polls. The resulting demonstrations helped Tymoshenko and her then ally Viktor Yushchenko to force a rerun of the vote, in which Yanukovych had been announced the winner.
The Kiev district court ruled that the Tymoshenko bloc and the youth wing of Yanukovych"s party will not be allowed to hold rallies at Independence Square, known as Maidan Nezalezhnosti, from February 1 to March 1.
Experts say that several days before the runoff vote, the winner is impossible to predict. The rivals have accused each other of seeking to rig the vote and promised massive protests after the election if either loses.
Yanukovych enjoys support of mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions. He won the first round of Ukraine"s presidential elections on January 17 with 35% of vote against 25% by Tymoshenko.