Yushchenko's conspiracy to become PM after polls exposed
25/12/200919:59
KIEV, December 25 (RIA Novosti) - A senior official at Ukraine's secretariat published on Friday a secret deal pledging current leader Viktor Yushchenko the post of premier if opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych wins presidential polls, Unian said.
The ex-Soviet nation will hold a presidential election on January 17, 2010, for which 18 candidates have been registered, including Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, former premier Yanukovych, who currently leads the opposition Party of Regions, and parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn.
The Ukrainian news agency quoted Yaroslav Kozachok, deputy head of the main service for home policy issues and regional development at the presidential secretariat, as saying that under the deal the two presidential candidates committed themselves to avoiding mutual criticism and taking every opportunity to support Yanukovych in a runoff.
A runoff is likely in February as none of the presidential candidates is believed to gain 50% plus one vote in the first round.
Kozachok also told a news conference that the two had conspired to promote Yushchenko as prime minister with a parliamentary majority voting for him, according to Unian.
He said he had resigned in protest.
The Party of Regions dismissed the report as "forgery and provocation."
"We resolutely deny this provocation. We have not reached either secret or open agreements with Yushchenko," Anna German, a party leader, told the Ukrainskaya Pravda internet edition.
The president has not yet commented on the issue.
Last week, Yanukovych himself excluded the option of appointing Yushchenko prime minister if he won the polls.
"We are political rivals," he said.
Yanukovych also pledged on Tuesday to prevent electoral fraud at the polls, while Yushchenko said on Sunday he was convinced he would win the election despite his low rating.
Tymoshenko warned presidential candidates earlier this week against any commitments that can harm the country's national interests.
