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Timeline: Battle for Ukraine A controversial election campaign followed by a disputed result plunged Ukraine into a leadership crisis. The two principal players were the rivals for the presidency, pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and pro-EU opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who emerged as the winner. BBC News charts how the crisis evolved. 20 January: Supreme Court rejects Mr Yanukovych's final appeal against the result of the re-run election and declares Mr Yushchenko the winner. Parliament votes to hold Mr Yushchenko's inauguration on 23 January. 18 January: A ban on publication of the presidential election results is lifted by the Supreme Court - allowing them to be published in newspapers on 20 January, making them legal. 17 January: Supreme Court starts hearing Mr Yanukovych's final appeal after he submitted 600 volumes of evidence indicating irregularities in the re-run election. All his previous appeals have been rejected. 16 January: Thousands of demonstrators rally in Mr Yanukovych's home town, Donetsk, and elsewhere to condemn Mr Yushchenko's "anti-constitutional" election. 11 January: Electoral commission declares Mr Yushchenko the official winner of the re-run presidential election with 51.99% of the vote. Mr Yanukovych gets 44.2%, but continues the legal battle. 6 January: Supreme Court rejects an appeal by Mr Yanukovych against the electoral commission's handling of the poll. The ex-prime minister had wanted the court to make the commission re-examine complaints about the election. 5 January: Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma accepts Mr Yanukovych's resignation as prime minister. 31 December: Mr Yanukovych resigns as prime minister, saying he cannot work with people loyal to Mr Yushchenko. 30 December: Supreme Court rejects all four complaints against the conduct of the presidential election lodged by Mr Yanukovych. The Central Election Commission also rejects his appeal over the vote. 27 December: With nearly all votes counted Mr Yushchenko's lead becomes unassailable, but Mr Yanukovych says he will never concede defeat, claiming election abuses. 26 December: The third and decisive round of the presidential poll proceeds smoothly. As the counting begins, it appears that Mr Yushchenko is set to win. 25 December: Constitutional Court strikes down reform restricting home voting; election officials say vote will proceed regardless. 24 December: Campaigning ends at midnight, with both candidates saying they are confident of victory. 20 December: The two rivals accuse each other of electoral fraud, in a live TV debate ahead of the poll re-run. 11 December: Mr Yushchenko's Vienna doctors confirm after exhaustive tests that he was poisoned with a form of deadly dioxin. 9 December: Government employees return to work after opposition demonstrators scale down their protest in Kiev. 8 December: Parliament passes a wide-ranging reform bill, paving the way for a 26 December re-run of the disputed presidential election. 3 December: The Supreme Court annuls the results of the second round of the elections, paving the way for fresh elections. 2 December: Crisis talks to try to find a solution to the deadlock continue as parties await the decision of the Supreme Court. 1 December: Parliament narrowly passes a motion of no-confidence in the government on the second attempt, prompting opposition fireworks in Kiev, but Mr Yanukovych dismisses the vote as illegal. Mr Yushchenko agrees to lift a blockade on government buildings but asks supporters to remain on the streets. 30 November: Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma - who backed Mr Yanukovych during the election campaign - says only fresh elections can resolve the stand-off. 29 November: The Supreme Court begins considering allegations of electoral abuses. Mr Yanukovych says he might accept vote re-runs in certain disputed areas. 28 November: Eastern regions threaten to secede if Mr Yushchenko is declared president. 27 November: Parliamentary deputies declare the poll invalid and pass a symbolic, non-binding vote of no-confidence in the electoral commission. Rival protests backing Mr Yanukovych are held in his stronghold of Donetsk. 26 November: Mr Yanukovych and Mr Yushchenko hold talks and agree to seek peaceful solution. Mr Yushchenko demands a re-run of the vote. Meanwhile, Mr Yushchenko's supporters lay siege to government buildings. 25 November: The Supreme Court suspends publication of the results while it examines the case, after the opposition appeals. 24 November: The official results are published, giving Mr Yanukovych 49.46% and Mr Yushchenko 46.61%. 22 November: The Central Electoral Commission declares Mr Yanukovych the winner. But Mr Yushchenko's supporters reject the result and gather in Kiev amid claims of vote-rigging. In the following days the protests build, despite sub-zero temperatures. 21 November: The second round of voting takes place after an interim period of rising tensions. 31 October: Voting in the presidential election gives Mr Yushchenko a small lead of just 0.5% against Mr Yanukovych and triggers a second-round ballot. But Western poll observers complain of serious irregularities and say the poll failed to meet international standards. The vote follows a bitter election campaign marked by allegations of assassination attempts, media bias and intimidation.
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