Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich said today he would stand against opposition liberal Mr Viktor Yushchenko again in a re-run of their contested presidential election and he defiantly vowed he would win.
Even as Mr Yushchenko's supporters kept up wild celebrations in the streets after yesterday's landmark ruling by the Supreme Court that gave them victory, Mr Yanukovich's camp said the Moscow-backed prime minister would run again in the repeat play-off on December 26th.
"He is convinced he will win the second time as he won the first time since 15 million Ukrainians stand behind him," his spokeswoman said.
Ukraine's parliament was due to meet to lay the legal grounds for the new vote after the Supreme Court annulled the results of the November 21st rigged poll, that had given victory to Moscow-backed Mr Yanukovich and that Mr Yushchenko had contested. The spokeswoman said Mr Yanukovich regarded the court's decision as having been made under "huge political pressure".
Despite Mr Yanukovich's apparent confidence, analysts say Mr Yushchenko appears well-set to sweep into power in the new ballot following a successful 12-day "people's power" campaign to overturn the results of the November 21st run-off.
Mr Yanukovich was dismissed by parliament on Wednesday, but outgoing President Leonid Kuchma has not yet signed a decree making the decision official.
He has been out of the public eye, apparently because of illness, for the past few days. After boisterous street revelling in Kiev overnight, Mr Yushchenko's supporters were dusting themselves down today for a weekend of fresh street action.
In line with Mr Yushchenko's plea to keep up pressure on the Moscow-backed government, supporters maintained a noisy presence outside government headquarters, beating out a tattoo on metal oil drums.
"Ukraine is henceforth a true democratic state," Mr Yushchenko declared last night to a crowd on Kiev's Independence Square, where his supporters, clad in his orange campaign colours, have thronged for the past 12 days, often in bitter cold.
The crisis, following a bitter November election battle between the Western-oriented Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovich, plunged the ex-Soviet state into turmoil and set Russia at odds with the West.
Supreme Court judges, after five days of deliberations, agreed with Mr Yushchenko's allegations that the November 21st run-off vote had been rigged. It said it should be played again on December 26th.