The election of Viktor Yanukovich is not as surprising as it may seem

The big picture in Ukraine often looks clear and dramatic. In the 2004 orange revolution Viktor Yanukovich was the operatic villain. In the cast-list of Ukrainian politics he is a former convict, a stooge of Moscow and a gaffe-prone thug. But in the latest act, on February 7th he became the democratically elected president, winning 49% of the vote, against 45.5% for the defeated prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.Five years ago Mr Yanukovich had been the hand-picked successor to Ukraine’s autocratic leader, Leonid Kuchma, who rigged the election in favour of his protégé but sparked mass protests that brought Viktor Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko to power. In the words of Mr Kuchma, the score has now been “annulled”. Mr Yushchenko, who spectacularly failed to govern the country well, has been kicked out. Ms Tymoshenko refuses to concede defeat, causing irritation in the Ukraine and the West. And Mr Yanukovich has (almost) become a champion of democracy.

From The Economist print edition:

www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_ID=15501625&fsrc=nlw|wwp|02-11-2010|politics_this_week