Tymoshenko Falls Short in Ukraine PM Bid

Orange Revolution heroine Yulia Tymoshenko fell 1 vote short of regaining her old job as Ukrainian PM today in contentious balloting that saw deputies fighting and throwing water at each other, Reuters reports. Tymoshenko immediately accused her rivals of cheating, but they said her Orange coalition—which held just a 2-vote majority in the 450-seat assembly—simply fell apart.

“Cheating like we saw today is only possible for a very short period of time,” said Tymoshenko, but a vote to reconsider her nomination also fell short. “A coalition built on an advantage of 2 votes is no coalition,” one rival scoffed, saying Tymoshenko likely needs to renegotiate and drop some ambitions. Ukraine's president is expected to submit a nominee—who may or may not be Tymoshenko—tomorrow. (More Ukraine stories.)