Kuchma Accepts Yanukovych's Resignation

5 January 2005 -- Outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma accepted Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's resignation today and appointed his first deputy, Mykola Azarov, as acting prime minister.

Yanukovych lost a presidential election last month to opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. He has appealed the vote results to Ukraine's Central Election Commission.

The commission plans to meet today as it moves towards formalizing the final results of the 26 December 2004 presidential vote.

Also today, Yushchenko is due to meet in the western city of Lviv with Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia, the current head of the Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe.

(Reuters/Interfax)