KIEV, Feb. 17 – A Kiev court on Wednesday suspended Viktor Yanukovych’s certification as the winner of the presidential election to give time judges to decide whether fraud played any role in the vote.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the defeated candidate, refused to concede and had submitted the appeal to the Kiev Administrative Court to rule on the matter.

Lawmakers from Yanukovych’s Regions Party appear to be confident that their leader will be confirmed as the winner of the election and are preparing for inauguration that is due on February 25.

“The most important thing is that, according to the law on presidential election, the newly elected president must be inaugurated within 30 days after his victory is officially certified,” Serhiy Kivalov, a Yanukovych ally, said.

Yanukovych on February 14 was officially certified by the Central Election Commission as the winner of the presidential election, triggering a 30-day countdown to the inauguration.

International monitors commended Ukraine on what they called an exemplary election, and Yanukovych has been congratulated by a number of foreign leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

Tymoshenko, however, refused to concede defeat. She promised to work through courts to prove that the election was stolen by Yanukovych. Most international observers ruled the February 7 vote was free and fair.

Returns certified by the Central Election Commission 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.

Tymoshenko has been seeking to also postpone or cancel the inauguration, but the court had rejected the appeal.

Yanukovych is expected to take oath of office at a special session of Parliament on February 25.

Andriy Mahera, a Tymoshenko-loyal member of the Central Election Commission, said the ruling by the Kiev Administrative Court downgrades Yanukovych from being the president-elect to one of the two presidential candidates.

State-owned television Pershiy, and a privately owned news network Channel 5 may be showing the clash in the court live, according to people familiar with developments.

Petro Poroshenko, the foreign minister, has been sending out invitations to world leaders to attend the inauguration of Yanukovych. (tl/ez)