"The Winner Takes It All" The Presidential Elections and the Consequences

Aside from teh Baltic states Ukraine is the only country in the post-Soviet realm where the transfer of power has again taken place peacefully and by means of free elections. But the election campaign showed that democracy is not yet embedded in Ukraine's political culture. The new president, Viktor Yanukovych, quickly changed the relationship of power in parliament and, with Mykola Azarov, appointed a minister president who is close to him. With that, the political blockage in Ukraine should be at an end. The balance of power among interest groups could also tilt.