KIEV: On Monday night Ukraine's presidential contest got personal when the two candidates went face to face in a bitter TV debate. It was broadcast nation wide five days before the repeat of the country's run-off election, on December 26.

The opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, and the prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, faced each other for more than an hour and a half. Under rules established by the central election commission, the candidates were allowed to ask each other questions directly.

The confrontation remained civilized, but did not mask acrimony between the two. Mr Yuschenko began by congratulating the Ukrainian people, saying: "Saint Nicholas will soon lay a gift on their pillow". He said he wanted to turn the population's attention to "the results of the November 21 election...stolen by my opponent and his team".

He listed violations during the election and the period during which Mr Yanukovich claimed victory, until 16 days of protests led the supreme court to declare the win as fraudulent. He said that "160 criminal cases have been opened into this", and added that Ukraine did not want to live under "criminal authorities".

"You're a religious person, right?" he asked Mr Yanukovich. 'Thou shalt not steal' - and then you stole 3m votes." In reference to Mr Yanukovich's two criminal convictions, he said: "I have not been to court, and have lived an honest life.

"The people who were [in central Kiev demonstrating] were not there because they were paid, but because they did not want to be ruled by a bandit government. They did not want Moscow to choose their president."

Mr Yushchenko showed his hands to Mr Yanukovich and said: "These hands have never taken anything." Mr Yanukovich often spoke in Russian to try to appeal to pro-Russian eastern Ukraine, where his support base lies.

He began by warning of an "economic catastrophe" and accusing the outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, of organizing the "orange coup" - a reference to the colour worn by most of the protesters.

His claim followed his campaign's new strategy of suggesting that Mr Yuschenko, who has repeatedly accused the government of trying to kill him, of actually being the pro-government candidate.

In recent days Mr Kuchma has been increasingly conciliatory towards Mr Yuschenko in the face of a likely opposition victory. Mr Yuschenko, whose disfigurement appeared to have eased since his poisoning in September, replied: "But you are Kuchma's candidate. You are his favourite child."

Mr Yanukovich appeared somewhat conciliatory on a number of occasions. He had said in a recent interview that he would not accept defeat, but on Monday he said: "If you win, I will recognize [your victory]; if I win - you will." He added: "And then you and I are working to form a normal government of national accord."

But Mr Yanukovich again raised the spectre of secession by the east when he warned Mr Yushchenko: "If you think you can win and be president of all of Ukraine, you are deeply mistaken. You will be president of part of Ukraine. I am not struggling for power; I am struggling against bloodshed." -Dawn/The Guardian News Service.