BAGHDAD, Iraq - The top U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq ordered the Iraqi Governing Council yesterday to delay nominating a president for a caretaker government that will take power in July.

Paul Bremer, who heads the Coalition Provisional Authority, personally intervened when the council was on the verge of holding a vote to ratify its choice, Ghazi Ajil Yawer, a young tribal leader critical of the U.S. occupation.

Bremer and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi support former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi for the largely ceremonial post and apparently did not want the council to hand them a potential fait accompli.

"Bremer came in and read them the riot act," a Governing Council aide said.

Ala Hashimi, a member of the Dawa Party, who was present at yesterday's meeting, said: "Bremer interfered and postponed the vote until (today)."

Bremer and Brahimi are trying to exert control over an unwieldy process in which individuals and parties represented on the U.S.-backed Governing Council are jostling for posts. The process has sparked a constant shuffling of candidates for posts as leaders of various groups attempt to secure the best deal for themselves and their constituents.

U.S. officials were taken aback Friday when council members nominated one of their own, Iyad Allawi, to the post of prime minister. Allawi is a Shiite and a former Baath Party member with close ties to the CIA. He also headed a group of exiled Iraqis who opposed Saddam Hussein.

Occupation authorities denied yesterday that they were applying pressure to the Governing Council. "We have not been leaning on anybody to support one president over another," said Dan Senor, a spokesman for the coalition. "Under international law, we have the ultimate authority for what happens in Iraq. We are the occupational power."

Despite the disagreements between Bremer and the Governing Council, it appeared possible that a government could be named as early as today.

The Governing Council will be dissolved after members of the caretaker government are announced. Although the new government will not hold power until July 1, they will be expected to help decide key issues such as the status of U.S. troops in Iraq and plans for renegotiating the nation's debt.

Bremer and Brahimi ordered the council to delay choosing a president because they insisted on Pachachi, according to Governing Council members.

Pachachi's staff has been emphasizing his background as a foreign minister and his ability to negotiate complex issues such as the rescheduling of debt.

Council members said they would meet again today to decide the matter, but said they were frustrated by Bremer's stance .

"The CPA and Mr. Bremer are pressuring us not to use our hearts," said Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish member. "If they insist on this, it will be very bad for the credibility of the U.S. They have no right to impose these things on Iraqis."