KIEV, Feb. 15 – A day after Viktor Yanukovych was declared Ukraine’s next president, the defeated candidate, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, suggested holding a referendum to see if the presidential post can be eliminated.

“We have to consult with the people, to hold the referendum to see whether they want the presidential form of government or the parliamentary one,” Ivan Kyrylenko, the leader of the Tymoshenko group in Parliament, said. “We believe that one of the posts in the country is one too many.”

The call for the referendum comes after Tymoshenko has refused to concede the defeat at the presidential election on February 7 citing alleged irregularities and fraud.

International observers ruled the election was free and fair, and even setting an example for the region, with many world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, congratulating Yanukovych with the victory.

Tymoshenko’s call indicates that she was not sure her lawyers will be able to cancel the vote through courts, suggesting she was willing to use the referendum to further cut the presidential powers.

Returns certified by the Central Election Commission on Sunday gave Yanukovych a margin of 887,909 votes, or about 3.5% of the total, over Tymoshenko.

Yanukovych collected support from 12.48 million voters, or 48.95% of the total, compared with Tymoshenko’s 11.59 million votes, or 45.47%, according to the commission. At least 4.36% voted against both candidates, a legal option in Ukraine.

This is not the first time that Tymoshenko seeks to change the constitution.

Last year, at her talks with Yanukovych over a long-term political partnership, the plan was apparently electing in Parliament Yanukovych as the next president, but leaving Tymoshenko as the prime minister. The plan was also to postpone elections for at least two years, according to people familiar with the situation.

The talks collapsed after Yanukovych had decided to withdraw, and to run for the presidency at the popular vote. He won the runoff against Tymoshenko on February 7.

Separately, Mykola Tomenko, a senior member of the Tymoshenko group, on Monday submitted as bill that postpones local elections for almost one year. He suggested holding the election on March 27, 2011, while the vote is currently scheduled on May 30, 2010.

Tomenko argued the move was needed because there were no money for the elections since the government has failed to approve the 2010 budget.

The idea of the referendum comes a day after Yanukovych has called on Tymoshenko to step down from the post and let a new coalition to form the new government.

In Ukraine, there is a mixed system of government, when the president nominated only two ministers – the minister of defense and minister of foreign affairs – while the rest of the Cabinet nominated by the parliamentary coalition.

The system was changed away from the presidential form of government beginning from January 1, 2006, leading to frequent clashes between the president on the one hand and the prime minister and the coalition on the other hand.

The system was changed under pressure from then President Leonid Kuchma in December 2004.

Meanwhile, Yanukovych allies on Monday appeared to be lukewarm to the idea of the referendum, and lashed out at the Tymoshenko group for “insisting” on the referendum.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych, the first deputy speaker of Parliament, said the Tymoshenko group can try to initiate the referendum by signing a petition.

“But coming to the microphone and saying they insist [on the referendum] is not a law,” Lavrynovych said. (tl/ez)