Yanukovych polishes up his image

Viktor Yanukovych, winner of Ukraine's presidential elections, is generally regarded as more pro-Russian than his opponent Yulia Tymoshenko or his predecessor Viktor Yushchenko. The daily Latvijas Avīze questions this theory: "Ukraine is not Russia, where even before the elections it was clear that Medvedev would succeed Putin and their United Russia party would win the parliamentary elections. Yushchenko lost the popularity he enjoyed during the times of the Orange Revolution. Russian gas, on which Ukraine is dependent, played a major role in this loss. Yushchenko's former rival Yanukovych can now finally take possession of the presidential seat he coveted for so long, but he is also at pains to correct his image from previous times. ... Moreover Yanukovych remains deeply unpopular in western Ukraine, and it is entirely possible that he will be forced to make concessions."

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