KIEV, Sept. 16 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko replaced Oleh Rybachuk with Viktor Baloha as his chief of staff on Friday, apparently seeking to increase the role of the presidential office in domestic politics.

Baloha, the emergency situations minister, is a Yushchenko loyalist and is known as a tough manager. He will probably be assigned a task to counterbalance the rise of the government of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.