Ukraine has voted - but for what?

Reinhard Meier sees the strong election results for Yulia Tymoshenko's party as an indication of the successful democratisation of the country: "It seems that a functioning political pluralism is beginning to take root in Ukraine. Observers concur that, in contrast to the situation before the Orange Revolution, all the parties have made a big point of observing the rules of democracy. ... This is not to say that everything is perfect in Ukraine regarding democracy. In particular the supporters of the Orange parties, who fought so passionately and with such determination for a new order, have suffered bitter disappointments over the past three years. Nonetheless, as these parliamentary elections clearly confirm, Ukraine, which has existed as an independent state for only sixteen years, has moved a big step closer to the Western European concept of democracy."

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