Update: Yekhanurov voted in as Ukraine's new prime minister

Kiev, September 22 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's parliament, the Supreme Rada, confirmed presidential nominee Yury Yekanurov as the country's new prime minister Thursday. Viktor Yushchenko's candidate was approved by 289 members of the 338-strong legislature in a repeat ballot, after having fallen just 3 votes short of the 226 threshold Tuesday.

Yekhanurov, 57, will replace Yulia Tymoshenko, whose cabinet was sacked September 8 after the Orange Revolution team, which had brought her and Yushchenko to power in January, disintegrated amid mutual allegations of corruption and infighting.

The revote came after a series of consultations between Yushchenko and parliamentary faction leaders and his promise to abolish the posts of state secretary and first presidential aide. Before Sept. 8, these positions were held by the president's top lieutenants, seen as arch rivals by the factions loyal to Tymoshenko.

The dismissal of the Tymoshenko government and lawmakers' initial unwillingness to approve the president's choice for prime minister put Ukraine on the brink of a political crisis.

Speaking to reporters after the approval of Yekhanurov, the president said that the 12 preceding days were "perhaps the hardest in my life."

He said he had faced a painful choice, "thinking about what I ought to do: give preference to the development of Ukraine or to some individuals, even if [they were] friends of mine."

Yekhanurov said he would form his cabinet next week, with technocracts to account for at least one-third of the lineup.

Boris Gryzlov, Speaker of Russia's State Duma lower chamber of parliament, said Yekhanurov's election was a "temporary solution."