Orange Revolution dream fades
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Yu Maofeng, Song Zongli, Wei Dafang
The exit of President Viktor Yushchenko, the figurehead of the 2004 Orange Revolution, in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election is evidence of waning enthusiasm for the movement, analysts say.
The election, the first since the revolution, was held on Sunday, with opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to compete in a run-off on Feb. 7.
Yanukovich, head of the Regions Party, scored 35.32 percent of Sunday's vote compared with 25.05 percent for his key challenger, Tymoshenko.
Yushchenko only obtained a miserable 5.45 percent amid widespread disappointment with his presidency.
Results of Sunday's vote conformed to pre-election opinion polls and most analysts' expectations, Vladimir Kornilov, head of the Ukrainian branch of the Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States, told Xinhua.
The outcome suggested Yushchenko's domestic and foreign policies were a failure, Kornilov said.
Yushchenko and his allies had failed to make good on their promises of democratic reforms or improving the quality of life since they came to power and Ukrainians were frustrated at the country's political in-fighting, Kornilov said.
During his tenure, Yushchenko has failed to facilitate national solidarity, instead focusing on historical issues that heightened the in-fighting. Those included the alleged deaths from starvation of several million Ukrainians in the 1930s under Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
In addition, Ukrainian-Russian ties deteriorated amid Yushchenko's active pursuit of NATO membership.
Most Ukrainians believe that Yushchenko, as head of state, is responsible for the country's political turmoil and ailing economy, which resulted in a sharp decline in support for him from over 50 percent in the Orange Revolution.
According to Kornilov, Yushchenko lost support from ethnic Russians, who account for more than 20 percent of the country's population, because he mishandled the status of the Russian language.
Eastern voters disapprove of his policies towards Russia, and his fighting with Tymoshenko irritated voters in the west, Tymoshenko's main power base. Therefore, his failure in the election came as no surprise.
The Orange Revolution was intended to turn Ukraine away from Russia towards the West. Yushchenko abandoned the multilateral foreign policy adopted by his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma.
Ukraine's relationship with Russia plunged to an unprecedented low as the president sought closer ties with NATO and the European Union. Tensions increased due to repeated gas disputes, deployment of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea and Russia's brief war with Georgia in August 2008.
Whoever wins between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko will improve Ukraine's relations with Russia, analysts say.
Kornilov said Russia was likely to be the biggest winner in the Ukrainian presidential race, because Ukraine was expected to slow down its bid for NATO membership, which could give an impetus to improving ties between the two countries.
Ukrainian media also believe that a new leader will transform the outgoing president's west-leaning foreign policy and restore multilateral diplomacy to maintain national interests.
Tymoshenko, an ally of Yushchenko in the Orange Revolution, needs to make up a significant gap on Yanukovich in the second round. The results undoubtedly demonstrates the Orange Revolution is facing mounting challenges.
Despite Yanukovich's big lead in the first round, Tymoshenko has a better chance of expanding her support base in the run-off, which will be extremely tense, analysts say.
The defeated candidates are crucial to the second round of voting. In particular, Sergei Tigipko, who gained 13 percent of the votes, is at the heart of a contest between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko for support.
The two presidential hopefuls reportedly held emergency talks with Tigipko on Sunday evening shortly after the polls closed. They had each offered Tigipko the post of prime minister under their presidency in return for support, reports said.
However, Tigipko said Wednesday he would not call on his supporters to back either of the two rivals in the runoff. "Voters in support of me are smart enough to make their own decisions," he said.
Both sides have threatened to launch mass protests if they perceive any electoral fraud in the run-off. If the outcome is close, Ukraine might again be plagued by a political row, analysts say. -- Xinhua
The exit of President Viktor Yushchenko, the figurehead of the 2004 Orange Revolution, in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election is evidence of waning enthusiasm for the movement, analysts say.
The election, the first since the revolution, was held on Sunday, with opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to compete in a run-off on Feb. 7.
Yanukovich, head of the Regions Party, scored 35.32 percent of Sunday's vote compared with 25.05 percent for his key challenger, Tymoshenko.
Yushchenko only obtained a miserable 5.45 percent amid widespread disappointment with his presidency.
Results of Sunday's vote conformed to pre-election opinion polls and most analysts' expectations, Vladimir Kornilov, head of the Ukrainian branch of the Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States, told Xinhua.
The outcome suggested Yushchenko's domestic and foreign policies were a failure, Kornilov said.
Yushchenko and his allies had failed to make good on their promises of democratic reforms or improving the quality of life since they came to power and Ukrainians were frustrated at the country's political in-fighting, Kornilov said.
During his tenure, Yushchenko has failed to facilitate national solidarity, instead focusing on historical issues that heightened the in-fighting. Those included the alleged deaths from starvation of several million Ukrainians in the 1930s under Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
In addition, Ukrainian-Russian ties deteriorated amid Yushchenko's active pursuit of NATO membership.
Most Ukrainians believe that Yushchenko, as head of state, is responsible for the country's political turmoil and ailing economy, which resulted in a sharp decline in support for him from over 50 percent in the Orange Revolution.
According to Kornilov, Yushchenko lost support from ethnic Russians, who account for more than 20 percent of the country's population, because he mishandled the status of the Russian language.
Eastern voters disapprove of his policies towards Russia, and his fighting with Tymoshenko irritated voters in the west, Tymoshenko's main power base. Therefore, his failure in the election came as no surprise.
The Orange Revolution was intended to turn Ukraine away from Russia towards the West. Yushchenko abandoned the multilateral foreign policy adopted by his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma.
Ukraine's relationship with Russia plunged to an unprecedented low as the president sought closer ties with NATO and the European Union. Tensions increased due to repeated gas disputes, deployment of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea and Russia's brief war with Georgia in August 2008.
Whoever wins between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko will improve Ukraine's relations with Russia, analysts say.
Kornilov said Russia was likely to be the biggest winner in the Ukrainian presidential race, because Ukraine was expected to slow down its bid for NATO membership, which could give an impetus to improving ties between the two countries.
Ukrainian media also believe that a new leader will transform the outgoing president's west-leaning foreign policy and restore multilateral diplomacy to maintain national interests.
Tymoshenko, an ally of Yushchenko in the Orange Revolution, needs to make up a significant gap on Yanukovich in the second round. The results undoubtedly demonstrates the Orange Revolution is facing mounting challenges.
Despite Yanukovich's big lead in the first round, Tymoshenko has a better chance of expanding her support base in the run-off, which will be extremely tense, analysts say.
The defeated candidates are crucial to the second round of voting. In particular, Sergei Tigipko, who gained 13 percent of the votes, is at the heart of a contest between Yanukovich and Tymoshenko for support.
The two presidential hopefuls reportedly held emergency talks with Tigipko on Sunday evening shortly after the polls closed. They had each offered Tigipko the post of prime minister under their presidency in return for support, reports said.
However, Tigipko said Wednesday he would not call on his supporters to back either of the two rivals in the runoff. "Voters in support of me are smart enough to make their own decisions," he said.
Both sides have threatened to launch mass protests if they perceive any electoral fraud in the run-off. If the outcome is close, Ukraine might again be plagued by a political row, analysts say. -- Xinhua