KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – Parliament confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as Ukraine’s new prime minister Friday and gave the firebrand of the country’s “Orange Revolution” protests the go-ahead to set the ex-Soviet republic on a new, westward course.

In unanimous votes, Tymoshenko won confirmation as premier and won support for her government’s program aimed at fighting poverty, tackling corruption and preparing Ukraine for European Union membership.

“We have passed through a long election path,” said Tymoshenko, whose penchant for provocative statements has won her countless supporters and enemies.

“We have awakened the hopes of people that the government can work and provide results … I want to thank the president, the parliament and the people for honoring me with the task.”

She was confirmed as premier in a 373-0 vote, far more than the 226 votes needed in the 450-seat parliament. Tymoshenko smiled broadly, then immediately walked over and hugged her ally, President Viktor Yushchenko.

“People are waiting for a new government that will be honest and will resolve all the problems they have lived with for 14 years,” said Yushchenko, who came to the parliament chambers to give his support to Tymoshenko, calling her his “political partner, political friend.”

Tymoshenko, 44, was one of the most visible figures in the mass protests led by tens of thousands of people for weeks during Ukraine’s elections crisis in November and December. The protests, dubbed the “Orange Revolution” after Yushchenko’s campaign color, helped secure his victory over former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in a repeat presidential election Dec. 26.

Following confirmation, Tymoshenko announced positions in her Cabinet, which was formed 24 hours later than expected because of haggling among the diverse allies who helped Yushchenko.

The new opposition criticized the last-minute back-room dealmaking, but Yushchenko’s supporters were in high spirits after holding together their loose coalition of nationalists, Socialists and reformers.

“This is the demonstration of a new style of work … a new efficiency,” said Petro Poroshenko, a key Yushchenko ally and lawmaker, who earlier was tipped as a candidate for prime minister. “This day marks the first success of Yushchenko’s team.”

Before the vote, Tymoshenko laid out the broad goals of her program, called “Toward the People.” She said the program would raise living standards and end the corruption, bribery and bureaucracy that choked business development and caused millions to lose faith in the government.

Yushchenko also told lawmakers that neither he nor his government would steal, acknowledging that he knows that “sounds like a fantasy” right now.

Tymoshenko also said Kiev must create a constructive relationship with its main trading partner, Russia.

“Russia for us is a first and top priority partner,” she said, adding later, “but our path lies in Europe.” One of the goals of her government will be to create a “pro-European majority” among Ukrainian citizens.

In the new Cabinet, the Socialists won a handful of key posts, including the powerful interior ministry, which controls the police.

Other key appointments included: Borys Tarasyuk, a former foreign minister who has pushed for Ukraine’s entry to the European Union, was named foreign minister. Anatoliy Gritsenko, who briefly studied at a U.S. military academy, became defense minister.

Tymoshenko’s ally, Oleksandr Turchinov, was tapped to head Ukraine’s secret service. He immediately quieted speculation that the agency might be set loose on members of the former government, including former President Leonid Kuchma.

“The enforcement bodies must protect the interests of citizens and not struggle with political opponents,” he said. The main task, he said, would be the “fight against corruption.”