By Pavel Polityuk
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko urged a court on Friday to look carefully at a February 7 election she says was rigged as she launched an appeal to block the inauguration of President-elect Viktor Yanukovich.
"A new president will have legitimacy only when all the evidence which has put it in doubt has been studied," Tymoshenko told Kiev's Higher Administrative Court.
Yanukovich, 59, is due to be sworn into office on February 25 after beating Tymoshenko by 3.5 percent in this month's runoff.
But the 49-year-old premier says she was robbed of victory by cheating and is pressing for a new presidential vote, as happened in the 2004 "Orange Revolution" which ended with President Viktor Yushchenko being elected.
Yanukovich, who was denied the top job by the 2004 wave of protests against electoral fraud, has denied any wrongdoing in the runoff.
Tymoshenko is also trying to get declared illegal the official declaration that Yanukovich was elected.
Few commentators expect her to win and most believe the court will throw out the appeal in time for Yanukovich's inauguration to go ahead next Thursday.
Tymoshenko pledged to abide by the court's decision -- as long as she deemed it fair.
"If everything is set up and studied objectively, I will accept the decision which is the will of people. But I can not accept double standards," she said.
HOSTILE RECEPTION
Tymoshenko was given a hostile reception from hundreds of Yanukovich supporters who turned out in force dressed in the campaign blue of his Regions Party. They chanted "Shame! Shame" as she was escorted by bodyguards into and out of the court building.
With her hair plaited in her trademark peasant braid, she sat next to Leonid Kravchuk, a former president, in the courtroom. Others supporting her in court included former foreign minister Borys Tarasiuk.
"I am sure that an honest review of all the circumstances is required not only by me as a presidential candidate. I am sure that it is also required by the candidate who considers himself president," she told the court.
The Tymoshenko side has presented the court with nine volumes of evidence which it says supports allegations of fraud in about 1,200 polling stations around the country of 46 million. The hearing is expected to last from 2-3 days.
The court said that while it was reviewing her accusations the official results of the election were suspended.
Analysts say Tymoshenko's refusal to concede to Yanukovich, whose victory has been recognised by Russia and the West, may be aimed at weakening him as much as possible before he takes office and may not be based on serious hopes of a court victory.
Regions Party deputy Vladislav Lukyanov said Tymoshenko's case was a lost cause.
"The inauguration is not in any danger. I personally have already bought my smoking jacket," he told reporters.
Although the court case is not expected to delay the inauguration, Ukraine faces an uncertain few weeks, if not months, as a new political order takes shape.
Yanukovich's supporters in parliament are trying to win over parties to form a new coalition and if they succeed, a vote of no confidence in Tymoshenko's government is expected.
Investors hope this horsetrading will end within weeks with a stable government capable of bringing back International Monetary Fund lending -- suspended, while the economy suffered its worst recession in 15 years, over broken spending promises.
(Writing by Richard Balmforth; editing by Angus MacSwan)
