Three days after losing the presidential election in Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych refuses to step down as prime minister.

"It is a matter of my principle not to submit a resignation," Yanukovych said. "I know why they insist on that, because now ... they are shivering with fear. We will yet say our word."

Yanukovych has launched a 27-volume appeal to Ukraine's Central Election Commission demanding that Sunday's revote be declared invalid. The commission has two days to examine the complaint.

If the commission does not respond before then, Yanukovych has the right to appeal to Ukraine's Supreme Court.

He said his campaign team fielded almost 5,000 complaints about how the voting re-run was conducted.

Yanukovych also claims that 4.8 million people, more than double the margin of Yushchenko's victory, were unable to cast their ballots.

President-elect Viktor Yushchenko believes the current government is "illegal" after it lost a vote of confidence by Ukraine MPs. But outgoing President Leonid Kuchma has made no move to dissolve the government.

So Yanukovych returned to his job on Tuesday and tried to hold a cabinet meeting early Wednesday.

But about 1,000 Yushchenko supporters blockaded Ukraine's government building, preventing Yanukovych from entering.

"We will show the criminal government that they cannot ignore the people's will," a protester named Vasil told the Associated Press. The crowd banged on drums chanting, "Resign! Resign!"

A government spokeswoman later announced that Yanukovych would not be meeting with his ministers as planned. Afterwards, the protesters began to disperse.

Still, some remained outside the main government entrance, saying Yanukovych could try to outsmart them.

One protester said Yanukovych could try to hold the session outside Kyiv. In that case, they wouldn't try to stop him.

"We don't plan to follow Yanukovych all over the country," Yuriy Lutsenko said.

Yushchenko scored a majority victory in Sunday's election. But he can not be proclaimed the winner until Yanukovych's legal challenges have run their course.

Ukraine's election has captured the world's attention for the past month.

Yushchenko's supporters blockaded government buildings for weeks after the Nov. 21 runoff election, which was deemed to be fraudulent. That forced Sunday's rerun where Yushchenko won 51.99 per cent of the vote to Yanukovych's 44.19 per cent.

With files from the Associated Press