KIEV, Dec 30 (AFP) - Ukraine's supreme court has rejected all four complaints by defeated Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich about "violations" during the weekend presidential election, a spokeswoman told AFP Thursday.
The decision does not, however, end legal wrangling over the election result, as the court could still be asked to rule on an appeal by Yanukovich over the outcome of the ballot.
"All four complaints have been rejected," the court's spokeswoman Liana Shlaposhnikova said.
Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko won last weekend's presidential elections by more than 2.2 million votes, with 52 percent to Yanukovich's 41 percent, giving him a comfortable margin.
Yanukovich's team had lodged the four protests on Tuesday. One was struck out Wednesday and the final three the next day.
"Two of them were thrown out because they were filed too late and the others were not justified," Shlaposhnikova added.
Yanukovich meanwhile pressed on with his legal challenge with an appeal over the results to the election commission, which was to announce its decision later Thursday.
The prime minister has vowed to contest his defeat to the bitter end, including a final appeal to the supreme court, raising the spectre of days' more legal wrangling stretching into January.
Observers say the moves are unlikely to scupper the results of Sunday's election because Yanukovich lacks mass popular support and because the number of irregularities were not enough to narrow the gap between the two candidates.
Western observers endorsed the ballot, as did senior Ukrainian government members including the foreign minister and the deputy prime minister.
Sunday's rerun election followed a November 21 vote won by Yanukovich, but which was annulled by the supreme court because of massive ballot-rigging.
12/30/2004 15:46 GMT - AFP