Yushchenko’s policies failed one after another particularly alienating its historic relationship with Russia.

 

 

February 08, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Progressive opposition leader and former Ukrainian premier, Viktor Yanukovych, has claimed victory in the final round of the country’s election.

 

Latest results show Yanukovych in the lead with 49 percent of the votes over opponent Yulia Tymoshenko’s 46 percent with up to 80 percent of the votes counted so far. ‘From this day, a new path opens up for Ukraine,’ Yanukovych declared. He also pledged to take the country down the path of change and suggested Tymoshenko to step down as Ukraine’s prime minister.

 

Ukraine the largest European country has been grappling with fundamental political uncertainties since the end of the former Soviet Union in the midst of a Western dominated neo-liberal global political climate. A country with highest standards of educated manpower reminiscing of all former Soviet Republics, has been trying to increase its living standards and export oriented economy, a nearly impossible task for a country that has very limited fossil fuel resources.

 

Following the Soviet collapse a Western leaning demagogue Viktor Yushchenko who later became the prime minister, took the opportunity to introduce some illusory / Hollywood-based transformations known as the Orange Revolution, hoping that the United States and Western world would begin heavy investments in the country’s infrastructure. It didn’t too long to find out that the champion of free market economy and neo-liberal guru i.e. the United States, itself was experiencing massive economic crisis and was solely engaged in stirring all kinds of troubles throughout the world.

 

Yushchenko’s experimental policies failed one after another particularly alienating its historic relationship with Russia on its eastern borders. In all, the excitement of the Orange Revolution has vanished from Ukrainians’ mind as the economy shrunk by more than 15 percent last year. The country’s major sources of foreign revenues including steel and chemicals also declined hampering domestic banking system.