SEVERODENETSK, Ukraine, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The political fallout from the questionable presidential election results in Ukraine appears to be growing, the BBC reported Sunday.
During a meeting in his power base of eastern Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych told delegates the election had pushed the nation to the "brink of catastrophe."
His rival, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, said the dispute threatens the future of Ukraine.
The country's highest court Monday is expected to consider the validity of last week's balloting, which ended with the pro-Russian Yanukovych declared the winner.
But pro-Western Yushchenko has claimed victory, alleging massive voting fraud. His concerns have been echoed by international observers.
While Yanukovych's party considered a plan to create its own separate financial and economic structure, tens of thousands of Yushchenko supporters protested on the streets of the capital, Kiev.
Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma called on both sides of the dispute to resolve their differences, but admitting talks among representatives of the two rivals to end the crisis were going badly.
