The Communist-dominated 450-member House, which had earlier opposed 35-year-old Kiriyenko's candidature on the grounds of his ``relative inexperience'', rejected the motion by 186-143 votes. Five Deputies abstained. He needed a minimum of 226 votes for confirmation.

Yeltsin, who has steadfastly stood by his protege Kiriyenko all through the political crisis brewing in the country, immediately re-nominated the young reformer for the top post after his nomination was rejected in the first vote.

``President Boris Yeltsin has sent a second request today to the State Duma asking it to confirm Sergei Kiriyenko as Russia's new Prime Minister,'' Kremlin spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky said an hour after the motion was rejected. Reacting to the results of the first round of voting, abeaming Kiriyenko, who has refused to indulge in political horse-trading to secure his nomination, said, ``I am pleasantly surprised that I got 143 votes in the first round.''

``Foreign Minister Primakov, Defence Minister Sergeyev and Interior Minister Stepashin will be members of the new Cabinet at my suggestion,'' he said, ruling out any bargaining with the Opposition on Cabinet posts.

Announcing Kiriyenko's renomination, the Kremlin spokesman refused to speculate on what could happen if voting went into the third and final round.``Let's see the results of the second round,'' he said.

Under the Russian Constitution, the President will have to dissolve the Duma and order fresh polls if it rejects his nomination for three consecutive times.

Yeltsin, 67, made it clear he had no other candidate for the post and dared the Duma to reject Kiriyenko's candidature yet again in the second round of voting next week. ``I have no other candidate,'' he said in a radio address shortly after renominating Kiriyenkoagain.