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Yushchenko
will lead Ukraine forward
Last
Sunday saw the inauguration of Viktor Yushchenko,
the newly elected president of Ukraine.
His ascension to the presidency marks the
beginning of an era of westernization for
this former Soviet satellite nation. Under
his leadership, a more serious democracy
may take root in an area that is strongly
affected by the totalitarian influence of
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Yushchenko's
journey to the presidency was a vigorous
struggle against Viktor Yanukovych, the
corrupt Russian-endorsed former prime minister
of Ukraine. The primary election ended with
the two slated for a Nov. 21 run-off that
Yanukovych won. The election, however, was
plagued by serious allegations of deep-rooted
fraud, and the international consensus was
that it was rigged. As a result, hundreds
of thousands of Ukranians took to the streets,
and the capital city, Kiev, became the center
of the protests.
Due
to extreme internal and external pressure,
a new election was held at the end of December.
The results were deemed fair, and Yushchenko
won by a solid margin. Though a dissatisfied
Yanukovych contested the election in the
Ukrainian Supreme Court, the results withstood
litigation.
Yushchenko
is the best thing to happen to the region
since the fall of the Iron Curtain. He is
a West-facing reformer who rejects Russian
reconsolidation attempts and has a strong
interest in strengthening Ukraine. With
Putin taking an increasingly authoritarian
approach towards governance, the region
needs a leader to promote the rise of democracy.
From both the symbols and words used Sunday
by Yuschenko, it is obvious that he is such
a leader.
As
reported Jan. 24 by the Washington Post,
both a mace and banner used by Bohdan Khmelnytsky,
the 17th century leader of a briefly independent
Ukraine, were visible decoration at the
post-inaugural celebration. These symbols
were an unmistakable and deliberate international
reminder of Ukrainian sovereignty.
Yushchenko
promised to fight corruption, enforce tax
law, investigate several cases of state
resources privatization, and, most significantly,
pursue membership in the European Union
(E.U.).
His
economic sensibility contrasts with the
vagaries of Russia's marketplace. The desire
to move towards E.U. membership is in conflict
with Putin's attempts to create a Russian-led
version of the E.U., titled the Single Economic
Space. Ukraine would have been an integral
part of the group, which was to include
Belarus, Kazhakstan and Russia.
Yushchenko
has also acted to calm Russian concerns
about his desire to reshape Ukraine. The
Jan. 25 edition of the Washington Post reported
that during a meeting with Putin, Yushchenko
promised the continued strategic alliance
of Russia and Ukraine. No mention, however,
was made of any political or economic alliance
with Russia. Couple this omission with his
stated interest in reforming the nation
and entering the E.U., and it becomes apparent
that Yushchenko is laying the foundation
for a stable and open-market democracy.
The
Ukranian potential is in stark contrast
with Russia's reality. Putin recently nationalized
Yukos, a major Russian oil company, sending
a dark message to investors and entrepreneurs
both in and outside of Russia. The parliament
is an extension of the will of the Kremlin,
and political opposition has been timid
at best. With such a nation as the current
major power, it is easy to see that Ukraine
could become a beacon of hope and democracy.
Though
Yushchenko's election was a blow to Putin,
who openly and vigorously supported Yanukovych,
his rise to the presidency marks the start
of an era of progress and westernization
for Ukraine and the surrounding former Soviet
satellite nations.
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