[JURIST] The Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine [official website, in Ukrainian] on Wednesday delayed [press release, in Ukrainian] an official declaration of victory for the recent presidential elections pending a suit filed by election runner-up Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko [personal website, in Ukrainian]. Tymoshenko alleges widespread voter fraud allowed Viktor Yanukovych to win the election [official results, in Ukrainian] 49 percent to 45 percent. Tymoshenko filed her suit on Tuesday [JURIST report] after the Ukrainian Central Election Committee [official website, in Ukrainian] rejected a fraud appeal. The court has scheduled the hearing [press release, in Ukrainian] on Tymoshenko's suit for February 19.

Tymoshenko has been a controversial figure in Ukrainian politics during her two terms as prime minister. In March 2009, she called for constitutional changes [JURIST report] to provide more separation between parliamentary and presidential powers. In October 2008, Tymoshenko withdrew a lawsuit [JURIST report] she had brought against Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko [JURIST news archive] after he suspended a plan to hold early elections following the collapse of the country's coalition government. Before suspending the plan, Yushchenko had issued a decree abolishing a Kiev court after it tried to block [JURIST reports] his order dissolving parliament.