Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 8 / Trend News E. Tariverdiyeva /

After the presidential elections, Ukraine will face reforms, including unpopular ones at any outcome, the Kiev Center for Political and Conflict Studies Director Mikhail Pogrebinsky said.

"I understand that now the country is in a very difficult economic situation. However, regardless of the wishes of Ukraine's next president, he will have to hold a very strong economic policies that can be called a policy of reforms," Pogrebinsky told Trend News.

According to the operative data of the Central Election Commission, about 96.27 percent of the protocols were considered. About 48.34 percent voted for a candidate for the president Victor Yanukovich and 46.05 percent for Yulia Tymoshenko, UNIAN reported.

The gap between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko is 2.19 percent.

According to Pogrebinsky, Ukraine will certainly face changes in fiscal and social policies in the nearest future. Popular decisions will not be always. "We simply have no alternative," he said.

According to the politician, Ukraine will have to go to the markets of foreign borrowings, such as the IMF. But until the budget is not adopted, it is impossible. "The budget may also be adopted only with the reduction in social spending. It will require serious reforms, for example, the energy sector. The West tries to achieve it for a long time," Pogrebinsky said.

As to foreign policy, it will become less ideological and more pragmatic. There will be more direct economic estmation, aimed at the Ukrainian industry, business, infrastructure, the politician said.

"We can expect more persistent attempts to achieve the issue of free trade zone with Europe to be solved," Pogrebinsky said.

On the other hand, one can expect that new large-scale projects of Ukraine and Russia beneficial to both parties will appear, he said.

"It is obvious that Yanukovich will not take a radically pro-Russian or pro-Western stance. The fact that he will be president is already clear," Pogrebinsky said.