Thousands of supporters of Ukraine's re-energized opposition rallied outside parliament on Tuesday to press for early elections for the mayor of Kiev and oust an ally of President Viktor Yanukovich from the powerful post.
But despite the show of strength, Yanukovich's Party of the Regions defeated the attempt to set a June date for the ballot.
The outcome means that Yanukovich, whose first bid for power was doomed in 2004 by street protests in Kiev that became known as the Orange Revolution, should be able to keep his man in control of the capital when he bids for a second term in 2015.
(Reuters)
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