New setback for Ukraine opposition
 |  A tired Yushchenko supporter in Kiev early Saturday. |
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|  VIDEO |
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KIEV, Ukraine (CNN) -- Ukraine's parliament has failed to approve changes to electoral laws that the opposition says were needed to prevent fraud in a rerun of a presidential election later this month.
The legislature adjourned for 10 days without passing a package of bills that would amend election laws, reshuffle the central election commission and make other changes to ensure fair balloting in the December 26 runoff.
Analysts said the vote to adjourn was a setback for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko just a day after he had scored a landmark victory in the Supreme Court that invalidated a fraud-tainted runoff 12 days ago.
The court ordered a new balloting on Friday because of what it called massive fraud, resulting in jubilant celebrations by the orange-clad opposition supporters of Viktor Yushchenko.
Analysts say that decision represented a big win for Yushchenko, who polls show has a good chance of winning another runoff.
Yushchenko said that a quick passage of electoral changes were vital for ensuring a fair rerun, and urged hundreds of thousands of his supporters to maintain their vigil in downtown Kiev until electoral amendments become law.
The Communists and pro-government factions had promised to vote for the changes in exchange for the opposition's support for a constitutional reform bill that would trim the president's powers.
But the compromise deal collapsed Saturday after pro-Yushchenko lawmakers said they would only consider the constitutional changes after the new vote.
Focus on absentee ballots
One of Yushchenko's goals for parliament has been to disallow absentee balloting, where observers say much of the fraud took place.
The court had been deliberating for about a week on whether the disputed runoff between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych should be voided after allegations of widespread voter fraud.
Yanukovych had been unofficially backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin who made two trips to Kiev to show his support.
In addition to amending election laws, the package of bills before parliament would make changes to the Central Election Commission, which had declared Yanukovych the election winner. Thousands of impartial election observers are expected to oversee the December election.
There will be extensive political maneuvering during parliament's 10-day break, CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty said.
She said thousands of Yushchenko supporters planned to keep their vigils in Kiev's main square for an undetermined time.
Yushchenko's camp, who chose to wear orange -- possibly as a symbol of positive energy -- have had music and dancing but no drinking during their stakeouts. According to Dougherty, the rather humorous approach has helped avoid violence
Yanukovych's camp said Saturday that the prime minister had decided to participate in the runoff, as widely expected. "There's no other way but to participate and win," Yanukovych's spokeswoman Anna Herman told journalists.
Ukraine's Central Election Commission, meanwhile, acted on the court decision and formally set the date for December 26.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
