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Viktor Yanukovych, the opposition leader who won Ukraine's recent election, has been inaugurated as the country's new president. His electoral opponent, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, says Mr Yanukovych won through fraud and refuses to recognise his victory. Both Mrs Tymoshenko and the outgoing president, Viktor Yushchenko, refused to attend the ceremony. However international observers have said the election was conducted fairly. Mr Yanukovych swore the oath of office in parliament, in front of deputies and visiting foreign heads of state and representatives. There was a block of empty seats in the chamber where deputies belonging to Mrs Tymoshenko's and Mr Yushchenko's coalition of supporters would have sat. After taking the oath, Mr Yanukovych acknowledged the divisions in parliament and Ukraine's economic difficulties but said he could lead the country out of the crisis. Last weekend Mrs Tymoshenko withdrew a legal challenge against her rival's victory in the election. She said the court was not interested in giving her justice in her case against Mr Yanukovych. In a televised address on Monday night, she said that Mr Yanukovych "is not our president". She said that his presidency would not last for long, and called on her parliamentary coalition to oppose him. The stand-off threatens to intensify Ukraine's continuing political instability, says the BBC's David Stern in Kiev. Ukrainian politics has been dominated by the rivalries between Mr Yanukovych, Mrs Tymoshenko and Mr Yushchenko since the Orange Revolution in 2004. Mr Yanukovych has said he now wants to form a new coalition and oust Mrs Tymoshenko as prime minister. He has named three possible candidates to replace her, and may announce his final decision later this week.