Yulia Tymoshenko established herself more than a decade ago as a force in Ukrainian politics. With her strong showing in the parliamentary election, she has emerged as a real alternative for voters tired of the longstanding wrestling match between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.

The result gives her a chance to regain the premier's job, which she briefly held in 2005, and improves her chances of making a credible bid in the next presidential campaign in 2009 or 2010. Less certain is whether this ambitious maverick has learned from the mistakes that cut short previous stints in power.

Ms Tymoshenko earned a fortune in Ukraine's less-than-transparent gas trading business in the mid-1990s but later managed to transform her image into that of a popular fighter for the poor against the depredations of the rich.