KIEV, July 13 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s government survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament Friday after two small opposition groups, including the pro-Russian Communist Party, suddenly refused to back the motion.

The vote is a setback for the Regions Party, the largest opposition group, which has been pushing hard for Tymoshenko’s dismissal, seeking to punish the government for its failure to battle high inflation.

“The government holds on, it is working in a stable mode and it is under no threat of dismissal,” Tymoshenko said after the vote.

The no–confidence motion was backed by 174 lawmakers, which is short of 226 votes required for approval in the 450-seat Parliament.

“It has become obvious that it was a provocation. It’s not truth that there are enough votes for the dismissal,” Tymoshenko said, responding to recent assurances from the Regions Party that the motion will be approved.

“Don’t challenge the government anymore,” Tymoshenko said. “If you don’t have enough political power, don’t shake the country up.”

Tymoshenko loyalists have been blocking the podium in Parliament for past three days amid fears that the government may be dismissed.

In the meantime, Tymoshenko has been apparently holding secret talks with opposition lawmakers, including the Communist Party and the centrist group led by former Parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, people familiar with the situation said.

There were speculations that Tymoshenko may have promised some privatization deals to Kostiantyn Hryhoryshyn, a Russian businessman that is thought to be the key financial sponsor of the Communist Party.

“The Communists have betrayed us,” Hanna Herman, a member of the Regions Party, said after the vote.

“We knew that the vote will fail. In the morning we learned about the betrayal,” Herman said. “We knew that for the past two days they have been working with [the Communists].”

But the Regions Party said they will probably push for another no-confidence vote in September, when Parliament resumes operation after the summer recess.

“I think that Parliament will get back to the issue of the dismissal of the government in the fall,” Herman told Channel 5 news television. “I think there will be even more arguments for the dismissal in the fall.”

Meanwhile, the motion also showed that Tymoshenko does not effectively control the majority in Parliament.

One of the lawmakers backing the dismissal of the government was Valentyn Topolov, a member of the Our Ukraine-People’s Self-defense group, a member of the coalition.

Topolov’s position shows the legislative support for Tymoshenko has been reduced to 224 votes in Parliament, making it extremely difficult for the government to approve any legislation.

Topolov is thought to have been supporting President Viktor Yushchenko, a fact that Tymoshenko has used to attack the president, potentially straining relations between the two.

“This was a very unpleasant strike from the president against the government,” Tymoshenko told ICTV on Sunday. (tl/ez)