Ukraine's Presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych delivers a speech at a press conference in Kiev, Jan. 11. Yanukovych said Tuesday that he will appeal to the Supreme Court over the official results of last month's presidential election and if the appeal is unsuccessful, he will take the fight to the European Court of Human Rights. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Ukraine's former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said here Tuesday that he will appeal to the Supreme Court over the official results of last month's presidential election and if the appeal is unsuccessful, he will take the fight to the European Court of Human Rights

"We will never agree with these results," Yanukovych, a presidential candidate, told a press conference in Kiev. "We cannot recognize the legitimacy of the president and the election."

"The results declared by the Central Election Commission (CEC) give us a convincing basis to file a complaint with the Supreme Court," Yanukovych said.

Yanukovych's announcement came the day after the CEC formally declared that opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko had won the re-vote of presidential election.

The CEC said Yushchenko won 51.99 percent of the votes against 44.20 percent for Yanukovych in the re-runoff on Dec. 26, 2004.

Yanukovych won a disputed presidential runoff on Nov. 21, 2004 triggering weeks of protests by Yushchenko's supporters. The Supreme Court later annulled the election results and ruled for a re-vote of the runoff on Dec. 26.

Yanukovych said Yushchenko's lead in the presidential re-runoff resulted from an "illegal law" approved by the Ukrainian parliament.

Yanukovych claimed the law blocked absentee ballots and home voting which prevented many old and ailing Ukrainians from going to the polling stations to cast votes.

Meanwhile, Yanukovych's campaign manager, Taras Chornovyl, said Yanukovych's presidential camp will apply late Tuesday to the Supreme Court for a postponement of publication of the final results in the official newspaper and on Wednesday will file appeals to the court alleging election fraud.

Chornovyl said many Ukrainian people have filed appeals to the European Court of Human Rights complaining of having been deprived of their right to elect their president.

The final results must be approved by the Supreme Court and published in two official newspapers before Yushchenko can be inaugurated, leaving the Yanukovych's campaign some time to file appeals.