KIEV, May 28 – The opposition Regions Party suspended talks with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko over constitutional amendments due to “various circumstances,” Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the Regions Party, said Thursday.

President Viktor Yushchenko on Wednesday threatened to call a referendum to stop the amendments, which would allow election of the next president in Parliament, scrapping a popular vote.

“There are not any talks with Tymoshenko. They were suspended due to various circumstances,” Yanukovych said after a meeting of his shadow government on Thursday.

The comment eases concerns that Ukraine may plunge into a wave of serious confrontation between political groups later this year, suggesting Yanukovych will try to win the presidency through a popular vote.

Yanukovych and Tymoshenko resumed the talks at a secret meeting earlier this month, but the talks did not lead to a breakthrough, according to people familiar with the situation. At least two senior members of the Regions said there was a 50% chance the amendments would be approved.

Yanukovych did not elaborate on the “circumstances” that had forced his party to suspend the talks, but analysts said there were three reasons in addition to Yushchenko’s latest warning.

First, most recent opinion polls have been steadily showing that Yanukovych would win the presidency by defeating Tymoshenko and other candidates through a popular vote.

Second, Ukrainian voters have been strongly opposing the idea of electing the president in Parliament, suggesting an attempt to do so may backfire politically.

Third, the amendments would leave Tymoshenko as the prime minister through 2015, while the Regions Party has been seeking to install their own member in charge of the government.

Yanukovych is currently the frontrunner among other presidential candidates with 24.8% support, according to an opinion polled released Thursday by Sofia, a Kiev-based sociology firm that has been working with the Yanukovych team.

Tymoshenko trails behind with 16.6% support, followed by 14.7% support for Arseniy Yatseniuk, a former parliamentary speaker, 3.7% for Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko, 3.5% for Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn and 2.1% for Yushchenko, according to the poll.

In the runoff, Yanukovych would defeat Tymoshenko by 35% to 29.6% margin, according to Sofia.

Sofia polled respondents across Ukraine between May 13 and May 22, or after Yanukovych and Tymoshenko had their secret meeting to discuss the constitutional amendments.

Sofia also found that 80.6% of respondents – an overwhelming majority – appear to be strongly opposing the idea of electing the president in Parliament. Only 6.1% of respondents support the idea, the poll shows.

Also, 52% of respondents did not want the constitution to be amended whatsoever, while only 29.6% had supported the plan, according to Sofia.

The poll also shows 56.1% of respondents reject the idea of an alliance between the Regions Party and Tymoshenko, while only 23.1% are in favor.

Sofia polled 2,013 respondents across Ukraine with the margin of error at 2.2%. (tl/ez)