Ukraine's former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich will challenge his defeat in last month's presidential election at the Supreme Court, even though he has acknowledged he has no hope of success.
Liberal Viktor Yushchenko, who defeated Yanukovich in the December 26 rerun of an election that was overturned because of fraud, says the appeals of the Moscow-backed former prime minister are "torturing the nation".
There is little doubt Yushchenko will take power some time later this month. But Yanukovich, who resigned on New Year's Eve, has said he will continue to mount legal challenges even though he sees no chance of victory.
The Central Election Commission is expected to meet to look at the final paperwork for the poll results. If it does not announce a winner today, the country could remain in political limbo into next week, since Friday is a holiday.
The Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier vote to allow the poll Yushchenko won, will meet at 2 p.m. (noon British time) to hear Yanukovich's appeal against a decision by the electoral commission last week to throw out his complaint.
But even if he loses that court fight, he could still challenge the final result after it is announced.
Yushchenko's supporters say allies of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma could be dragging out the transition process to cover the tracks of shady deals before their enemies take power.
In the days since the December 26 election, one member of the outgoing cabinet was found dead with a gunshot to the head. Other officials have been sacked by Kuchma and some are rumoured to have left the country.
Yushchenko's allies, meanwhile, have been jockeying for positions in his new government. Yushchenko is not expected to announce a line-up until after his inauguration, which most politicians expect at the end of next week.
Picking a new prime minister will be tricky because Yushchenko's supporters are divided among several factions in parliament, and, even if they were to agree, they do not have enough votes collectively to guarantee any candidate's confirmation.
Yushchenko, on holiday in Western Ukraine's Carpathian mountains with his political ally Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, has given few clues.
"We will count on new names," was all he would say yesterday about his new government.