Ukraine's Central Election Commission formally declared tonight that liberal Mr Viktor Yushchenko won last month's presidential election with 51.99 per cent of the vote, paving the way for him to take power.
Mr Yushchenko's Moscow-backed opponent, former Prime Minister Mr Viktor Yanukovich, received 44.2 per cent. He has contested the poll, which was held after the Supreme Court threw out an earlier vote, declaring it was rigged.
Mr Yanukovich's repeated challenges of the December 26th election led to two weeks of political limbo, and Mr Yushchenko said the delay was "torturing the nation".
Mr Yanukovych, who stepped down as prime minister last week, had been declared the winner of the November election, and he has vowed to use all possible legal avenues to overturn the revote.
The Supreme Court earlier today rejected eight complaints by Mr Yanukovych's campaign. The elections commission's statement must now be accepted by the High Court and published in two official gazettes before Mr Yushchenko could be inaugurated.
That could leave Mr Yanukovych's camp a window for filing more legal actions. Earlier, Mr Yanukovych's campaign manager Taras Chornovyl said a massive legal action consisting of some 500 volumes was being prepared to prove widespread fraud in last month's revote.