Turmoil over Ukraine confidence vote

There were angry scenes as the row unfolded

A crucial no-confidence vote in Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko has been postponed until Thursday, after a day of drama in the country's parliament.

Yushchenko supporters outside parliament

The communist-inspired motion was agreed in principle last week, and MPs voted on Tuesday morning to press ahead with it later in the day.

But after stormy scenes inside and outside parliament, the vote was delayed.

If and when Mr Yushchenko is defeated, the country is expected to be plunged into political uncertainty. A weak coalition government - and the abandonment of Ukraine's economic reforms - are seen as possible consequences.

Mr Yushchenko, currently out of the country, had previously denounced the move as "shameful", and had predicted that he would lose.

The row came as Yushchenko began a foreign trip

Some observers believe the prime minister's downfall could also add to pressure on President Leonid Kuchma, who is already beset by political problems of his own.

Mr Yushchenko is on a two-day visit to Greece. President Kuchma is also out of the country, in the Baltic state of Lithuania.

As parliament debated the move, about 2,000 of Mr Yushchenko's supporters gathered outside to back him.

Public backing

A former banker, Mr Yushchenko's austerity measures and reformist tendencies have made him a favoured figure with the West since his appointment in 1999.

Kuchma: Could be left exposed if the government falls

He has also remained relatively popular with the public.

But his policies have won him enemies too, most of whom blame him for worsening Ukraine's grinding poverty - even though the economy has actually grown significantly under his administration.

His efforts to reform business practice and end corruption have also not endeared him to some of Ukraine's business tycoons, more used to Soviet- than western-style methods.

'Murder' scandal

The political picture has been blurred further by President Kuchma's attempts to shrug off a scandal over the death of an anti-government journalist, Georgiy Gongadze.

Tape-recordings of Mr Kuchma apparently sanctioning Mr Gongadze's murder have prompted huge street demonstrations by people demanding his resignation.

It is thought those protests could be given fresh impetus if Mr Yushchenko were to fall. In some quarters, Mr Yushchenko is even seen as a possible rival to Mr Kuchma for the presidency.

The West - already less than convinced of President Kuchma's democratic credentials - would also be unhappy to see the reformist prime minister out of office.

As the country's two key political leaders fight their own battles, rival groups have jockeyed for position, and the largest faction - the communists - have emerged as the strongest voice of opposition.

The no-confidence motion was also expected to win backing from socialists, greens and centrist parties.

Under its terms, the government would have to be removed within 60 days.