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Ukraine's Pro-Russia party mulls nominating leader as PM

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The largest faction in Ukraine's parliament, the Party of Regions, plans to nominate its leader as prime minister, a faction member said Friday. Viktor Yanukovych served as prime minister between 2002 and 2004.

KIEV, July 7 (RIA Novosti) - The largest faction in Ukraine's parliament, the Party of Regions, plans to nominate its leader as prime minister, a faction member said Friday.

Viktor Yanukovych served as prime minister between 2002 and 2004.

In what would represent a crushing blow to the hopes of the country's "orange" parties, which had hoped to put forward their own candidate, Taras Chernovol said, "We have virtually decided to nominate Yanukovych. We will decide this issue at the party's political council meeting today and at a meeting of a new coalition."

Chernovol said a new coalition majority, comprising the Party of Regions (186 seats), the Socialist Party (33) and the Communist Party (21), had virtually emerged in the Supreme Rada.

"This will be a center-to-the-left coalition," he said.

The Socialists have reportedly rejected this possibility so far.

Yulia Tymoshenko, another former prime minister and leader of her eponymous parliamentary bloc, declared the Supreme Rada illegitimate Friday.

"Until a [new] coalition is formed, all parliamentary activities will be illegitimate," Tymoshenko said.

The coalition formed June 22 by Tymoshenko's bloc, pro-presidential Our Ukraine, and the Socialist Party, all but collapsed when Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz was elected Supreme Rada speaker late Thursday.

The Western-leaning factions did not participate in the vote, saying the Socialists had breached an agreement to elect a candidate from Our Ukraine as a speaker.

Tymoshenko also said the president had to decide whether a new coalition had appeared or whether this was not the case, which could precipitate new elections.

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