Ukraine's prime minister, Mr Viktor Yanukovich yesterday refused to accept the result of Sunday's re-run presidential election in which Western-leaning opposition leader Mr Victor Yushchenko has been declared president, with 99.8 per cent of the votes now counted. Chris Stephen in Kiev reports.
Mr Yanukovich, blamed by many for organising fraud that saw him win the previous election on November 21st, said last night he was the rightful winner and will challenge the results in the Supreme Court.
"I will never recognize this defeat because there were violations of the constitution and of human rights in our country," he said.
Mr Yanukovich said he had no confidence in the Supreme Court's civil chamber which this month annulled his victory in last month's vote.
"I will demand that our appeal, which is being prepared, be examined by the entire collegium of the Supreme Court of Ukraine. And that this should be done publicly."
His comments came as Kiev exploded in celebrations with thousands of opposition supporters, in the now familiar mix of orange banners, scarves and ribbons, filling the city centre.
Rock singers entertained crowds in the central Independence Square after voter counts gave Mr Yushchenko 52.03 per cent of the vote.
In what has been Europe's most closely monitored election for a decade, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said its 12,000 observers reported isolated cases of suspected fraud, but nothing on the scale of the systematic ballot rigging in the previous election.
That election triggered the so-called Orange Revolution, bringing up to half a million protesters onto the streets of Kiev and seeing the Supreme Court earlier this month declare the previous ballot fraudulent, paving the way for the re-run election on Boxing Day.
Legal experts are unclear about whether the challenge by Mr Yanukovich can delay the election confirmation process, though diplomats here think that, in the absence of thus far undetected violations, the court will find the election is fair in time for Mr Yushchenko's inauguration on January 2nd.
Opposition supporters continued their demonstrations last night, with thousands of protesters following the well-worn route between Independence Square and the federal presidency building.
"This is a great day, a great day for democracy," said Mr Yuri Druz as took down the orange flag that has been displayed in his taxi for the past five weeks. "I won't be needing that any more. We are so pleased to have Yushchenko, we want progress, Yanukovich had a criminal past and we can't have a president with a criminal record."
The sprawling Tent City, home to round-the-block protests, remained in being last night with occupants saying they would not drop their guard until Mr Yushchenko is inaugurated and gets the all-important command of the army and interior ministry troops. "If they make trouble, we will keep protesting," said Ms Kohonenko, a 21-year-old student, wearing an orange scarf, orange construction hat and waving Ukraine's blue and yellow national flag.
"This protest changed a lot of things around here. For many years the people of Ukraine were asleep. Now we woke up." In Independence Square, 14-year-old Volodymyr Bigich wandered in a brown pantomime horse costume with orange ribbons on his hooves. Stationed below a Christmas tree the height of a small apartment block festooned in blue and white lights, the young man charges tourists to have their photo taken with him.
"If I was old enough I would vote for Yushchenko," he said. "He will open the country, we will get more tourists, I will get more work."
Hryhoriy Kyrpa, Ukraine's transport minister, was found dead, from a single bullet, in his dacha late yesterday evening in what appeared to be a suicide, though some opposition figures cast doubt on this theory.
Mr Kyrpa, who was regarded as a competent minister, was facing questioning from the incoming presidential administration over his role in moving tens of thousands of people across the country to take part in multiple voting during the November 21st election.