Former central banker Sergei Tigipko, who came third in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election, said he would not throw his crucial support behind either candidate in the runoff on February,7.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who will face frontrunner Viktor Yanukovych in a tight race, has offered Tigipko the prime minister's position in exchange for his support.
Yanukovych won 35% of the vote in the first round on January 17, 10% more than Tymoshenko. Support from Tigipko, who garnered 13%, is broadly viewed as a decisive factor for the victory of either candidate.
"I am not going to support anyone until the end of the runoff," Tigipko said. "We have our own party, our own views."
Yanukovich has not made any official offers to Tigipko. However, Tigipko, 49, said he does not rule out his premiership whether with Tymoshenko or Yanukovich. He had earlier said he would focus on the "modernization" of the ex-Soviet nation.
Analysts say that Tymoshenko's offer of premiership for Tigipko was largely symbolic.
In Ukraine, the parliamentary majority rather than president proposes a candidate for premier. Neither Yanukovich, nor Tymoshenko, leaders of the biggest parliamentary parties, have the necessary majority votes to push through their candidate.
Tigipko said his voters were free to make their own choice. "I might have my sympathies or antipathies, but I will not express them openly as that will not help the issue," he said.
Current President Viktor Yushchenko, swept to power by the 2004 pro-Western street protests, gained slightly more than 5% of the January vote. His presidency has been marred by continuous political infighting and economic problems.
KIEV, January 27 (RIA Novosti)
