The bad news is that the leaders of this country of 46m, bordering the EU in the west and Russia in the east, have largely squandered the credit they won in the heyday of the orange revolution. Corruption is rife, the courts are bent, institutions are dysfunctional and the economy (dominated by Soviet-era steel and chemical factories) is sick. Instead of reforming Ukraine, politicians have fought over power and assets, blocking each other’s decisions. This is exemplified by Mr Yushchenko’s recent actions, aimed at damaging Ms Tymoshenko at any cost, even if they discredit the country.
From
The Economist, while I disagree with the description of Ukraine as a "healthy democracy" (their reasoning--no one can predict the winner, but there are only two contenders), yes the next five years will be hard for Ukraine. It didn't just squander goodwill, but also a chance to further reform the economy. As the excerpt above illustrates, little was done when the economy was going well, why would there be an impetus now to do something? However, the next president will have many issues on their plate including: Black sea fleet, EU, NATO, Russia, and the economy. Perhaps if the economy continues to deteriorate, the new president will do what Kuchma did and name a technocrat reformer as prime minister, but who hopefully won't run for the presidency in five years.
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