Send page Print

Eastern dimension and the Balkans / Backgrounder

Ukraine's Elections: post-Orange Blue(s)

19/09/2007 By Balázs Jarábik

Ukraine’s political crisis erupted in April when President Viktor Yuschenko dissolved parliament.

Since then political infighting – between Yuschenko and his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych – has made a mockery of the constitution and eroded the relevance and reputation of the judiciary.

It has also demonstrated that the pursuit of power is the number one priority for all sectors of the political elite. There are no ‘good guys’ left for the people to back, but partisanship can still save the turnout.

The elections will mark the end of the post-Orange Revolution era. But have elites been able to draw any lessons from the post-Orange period? Is the new administration likely to be any different to that of former President Leonid Kuchma?

Download the full version of this publication, available in English (98 kB)
Spanish (104 kB)

Keywords

Eastern Europe and Russia Elections Revolution Ukraine

Bio author: Balázs Jarábik

Currently, Balázs Jarábik is head of Pact Ukraine in Kiev and associate fellow at FRIDE's Democratisation programme in Madrid.