Mixed blessing
A triumphant Viktor Yanukovich is inaugurated in Ukraine, but his problems have only just begun
EVEN in Ukraine, elections can end. After two rounds of voting and weeks of legal rumbles, Viktor Yanukovich was inaugurated on Thursday February 25th as Ukraine's fourth democratically elected president. In November 2004 he tried and failed to steal the crown. Now he has played (mostly) by the rules—and won. Although Yulia Tymoshenko, his charismatic rival (and Ukraine's prime minister), refuses to recognise Mr Yanukovich's victory, she withdrew her legal appeals this week. Ukraine's highest office has thus moved from an incumbent to an opposition leader: a rare achievement in an ex-Soviet republic.
More from Europe
The EU’s best-laid plans for expansion are clashing with reality
For now “phoney enlargement” is the order of the day
Turkish women should soon be allowed keep their maiden names
But the law is still fuzzy
Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term ends on May 20th
But he has no plans to step down or call an election during wartime