Fiery ex-PM pressure on President

Ukrainian firebrand politician Yulia Tymoshenko, buoyed by a strong election showing, yesterday demanded her job as Prime Minister back as the price for joining a liberal alliance to keep Moscow-backed parties out of office.

Her demand reopened a running feud with President Viktor Yushchenko, her erstwhile ally in Ukraine's democratic "Orange Revolution", who sacked her as premier last year.

With half the ballots counted, the largest number of votes had gone to the Regions Party of former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich - who looked set to win a presidential election with Moscow's support two years ago until mass protests forced the result to be overturned owing to fraud, ushering Mr Yushchenko in.

But Ms Tymoshenko's showing, pushing Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine into third place, meant the liberal parties could still combine for an overall majority if they could resolve their differences.

Signs of the rivalry between Ms Tymoshenko and the President were quick to emerge.

Ms Tymoshenko called for a rapid coalition deal that would also embracing a third, smaller 'orange' partner, the Socialists, but Mr Yushchenko, battered by his poor showing, sought more time. "We are not causing the delay. We are 100 per cent ready. I think there is some confusion in Our Ukraine. They did not expect such results," Ms Tymoshenko told Inter television.

She said she would meet Mr Yushchenko today and made it plain she would press him to appoint her to her old job.

"Principles have been agreed. The party winning the greatest number of votes among the three participants puts forward its candidate for Prime Minister, with no right of veto," she said.

"We should not lose a single minute. We need to make a decision immediately and form the government right after results in order not to disillusion people again."

Mr Yushchenko's party promotes closer ties with the European Union and Nato and more decisive market reforms. Ms Tymoshenko is also explicitly pro-Western but proved interventionist when she was Prime Minister as she tried to impose price controls and approved a populist budget - policies that do not sit well with Mr Yushchenko's free market values.

Mr Yanukovich, strong in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, seized on his win to urge parties to team up with him. He, too, said formal negotiations should await the final vote count.

His party represents the interests of big business, predominantly from eastern Ukraine, and promises to improve ties with Russia and end an energy pricing dispute with Moscow. Ms Tymoshenko stood by Mr Yushchenko during rallies in 2004 which led to his election win over a political establishment overtly backed by Russia. Her dismissal after eight months as premier disappointed many of the voters who had stood for many nights in Kiev's snow-covered Independent square.

But Mr Yushchenko said serious coalition talks could only get under way when the count was complete.

"It is logical to start talks on a coalition after the official declaration of the election results. This is the president's position," Ivan Vasyunyk, first deputy head of the President's secretariat, told reporters.

There was no direct word from Mr Yushchenko, who was clearly showing he did not want to be bulldozed by Ms Tymoshenko as she vied for the role of "orange" standard-bearer.

Mr Yushchenko sacked her last September after infighting over corruption charges, and they have been on poor terms since.

Meanwhile Mr Yanukovich, who eventually lost an election re-run to Mr Yushchenko in 2004, benefited from disillusionment over the liberal infighting and an economic slowdown.

Partial results with half the votes counted gave his Regions Party 27.4 per cent. The Yulia Tymoshenko bloc was running second with 23.5 per cent and Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine had 16.2 per cent.