Ukrainian president-elect Viktor Yanukovich named three candidates for the post of premier today and said he expected a coalition to replace the government of election rival Yulia Tymoshenko to be formed soon.
Mr Yanukovich's Regions Party needs to forge a new coalition in parliament to replace Ms Tymoshenko, now premier, and the post is key for the party to gain support from others. This may be why two of the candidates do not come from Regions' ranks.
Mr Yanukovich named businessman Sergey Tigipko and former foreign minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, as well as one member of his own party, former finance minister Mykola Azarov, as the most likely candidates.
"Today we can say that talks surround three figures. They are Tigipko, Yatsenyuk and Azarov," Mr Yanukovich told the Ukraina television station in an interview. "We expect a result by the end of this coming week."
Mr Tigipko (50), and Mr Yatsenyuk (35), have presented themselves as pragmatists who would be able to undertake tough reforms as Ukraine reels from a deep economic crisis. Russian-born Mr Azarov (63), leans more towards Moscow and traditional state regulation.
After a bitter election campaign, Mr Yanukovich called for Mr Tymoshenko to step down as his victory became clear. She instead challenged the election result in court, only to withdraw the case on Saturday, saying she could not trust the court.
Mr Yanukovich wants to assemble a stable government that can focus on Ukraine's economic woes and bring back lending from the International Monetary Fund.
But Ms Tymoshenko has refused to step down, and has accused Mr Yanukovich's supporters of vote rigging.
Analysts say she will now focus on the fight against Mr Yanukovich in parliament. If his supporters succeed in building a coalition, they could dismiss Tymoshenko through a vote of no confidence, paving the way for a new government.
If not, Mr Yanukovich may be forced into calling a snap parliamentary election, an option investors fear because it would prolong instability.
Ms Tymoshenko's decision on Saturday to drop her legal case paves the way for Mr Yanukovich's inauguration on Thursday.
A Regions Party official said today the presidents of several countries including Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania had confirmed they would attend, along with the EU foreign affairs and security chief, Catherine Ashton.
Ms Tymoshenko still says Mr Yanukovich did not win the election legitimately even though international observers gave the election the all-clear. Western governments have congratulated Mr Yanukovich on his victory.
Reuters