'Orange Revolution' Seems to Have Ended....

[Frodo]

Yushchenko hasn't lost his job...yet, but if he doesn't hate it now, he will when this newly-elected parliament convenes:
 
Polls give pro-Russian party largest chunk of votes in Ukraine

By Mara D. Bellaby
The Associated Press

KIEV, Ukraine — A pro-Russia party won the largest chunk of votes in Ukraine's parliamentary elections Sunday, nationwide exit polls indicated, dealing a stinging rebuke to President Viktor Yushchenko's West-leaning administration.

Polling stations shut after 15 hours, but voters who had waited in long lines and managed to get inside before the official closing time were allowed to cast ballots, choosing from more than 45 parties that sought seats in the 450-member parliament.

Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Moscow opposition leader who lost to Yushchenko in the 2004 presidential election forced by the Orange Revolution street protests, declared his party the winner on Sunday.

"The Party of the Regions has won a convincing victory," Yanukovych said after three exit polls put his party in a comfortable first place. "We are ready to undertake responsibility for forming the Cabinet and we are calling on everyone to join us."

The polls gave Yanukovych's party anywhere from 27.5 percent to 33 percent, followed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc with about 23 percent, and Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc with between 14 percent and 16 percent.

[DanielX]

Is it theoretically possible that Yushchenko and Tymoshenko's blocs will work together to isolate Yanukovych ie somehow form a coalition government between the two blocs?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

You can check out ag and I's discussion of it here for more in depth detail that also shows why this article is misleading: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=38060.0

And Daniel, that appears to actually be the MOST likely outcome, along with the Socialists as well. It therefore does not look as if the Orange Revolution has ended, rather it has simply splintered, allowing Yanukovych to win a plurality. But the vast majority of the votes are still for parties rooted in the Orange Revolution. Therefore, Ukranians are still certainly rejecting the old autocratic Russian puppet regime by quite a margin, even if they are disappointed with Yuschenko as well.

[Ben.]

Is it theoretically possible that Yushchenko and Tymoshenko's blocs will work together to isolate Yanukovych ie somehow form a coalition government between the two blocs?
 

You would hope so.

[ag]

Yanukovich and other parties of his suasion seem to have gotten fewer votes then the last time around. Why would that be "the end of the orange". The only way Yanukovich would be in the government is if Yushchenko decides he hates Timoshenko too much to stomach her premiership. Otherwise, it seems to be the straightforward "orange" government in the offing: Timoshenko/Our Ukraine/Sociallists (Sociallists supported Yushchenko the last time, after their leader Moroz was eliminated in the first round; without them he wouldn't have one then either).

On a broader note, the "orange revolution" wasn't about personalities, really. It was about the right for transparent elections, in which the power could be changed by a vote. On this count, Our Ukraine's miserable performance this time is a ringing endorsement of the orange movement. To the extent Yanukovich will operate the largest parliamentary faction that he gains fairly, in a democratic vote - and there wasn't any doubt of that ever since the orange parties split, remember Yanukovich did gain 46% in a relatively fair "third round last time", it would be surprising if he didn't get 25% this time - this provides a shining contrast to the 2/3 majority the faceless "United Russia" now has pretty much on all levels of government north of that border.