President of the center for economic development on the logic of reform and the choice of means discrediting the noblest goals.

Ukraine's parliament on December 18 confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister, returning the controversial pro-Western politician to power three years after the Orange Revolution catapulted her to a short-lived, divisive premiership.

“Viktor Yushchenko always makes the right decision… after he tries all other alternatives”. It is not always true, but it is absolutely true for the process of forming today’s coalition.

As anniversaries of the events in Georgia and Ukraine approach, high hopes and great expectations have been replaced with apprehension.

Ukraine should not hesitate to say to its younger brother, Russia, that it should learn Ukrainian political culture.

The would-be coalition members do not seem to see eye to eye on the proposed legislative innovations. They do not even tell the same story about the negotiations progress.

The elections are over, and various political forces are busy distributing powers amongst them, although the time is ripe for discussing Ukraine’s post-election economy.

The coalition in the previous parliament was a cartel of ideologically diverse political forces dictated by the major one. In the new parliament, the factor of informal alliances is likely to be very influential and even decisive.

OLEKSANDR PASKHAVER, LIDIA VERKHOVODOVA

In Ukraine it is the political aspects that often play a decisive role. After 16 years of independence and 7 years of sustainable economic growth not only fundamental tasks of the reforms are far from being achieved, but the global development trend is far from being clear.

VITALY BALA

Tymoshenko’s seeking to remove the RosUkrEnergo company from the the chain of the gas supplies and transit should be considered as an element of her presidential campaign. "Gas relations" with Russia became one of her weak points during her first premiership.

VADIM KARASYOV

The election of Yuliya Tymoshenko as Ukraine’s Prime Minister is the evidence of the fact that parliamentary-electoral mechanism of government formation is being created in Ukraine.

VITALY BALA

From now on Tymoshenko’s appointment as Premier is a matter of principle. I believe that the democratic coalition is sure to have her appointed as Ukraine’s Prime Minister.  

OLEKSANDR PASKHAVER, LIDIA VERKHOVODOVA

By way of overcoming the current political crisis Ukrainian society is developing the basics of democracy, though not in a very elegant or ethical manner. But there is no other way of learning freedom and democracy but to practise them.

VITALY BALA

Viktor Yushchenko profits from the procrastination of the coalition formation. As the coalition is not formed, Viktor Yanukovych's government becomes semi-legitimate. The President is the only authority.

VITALY BALA

In terms of tactics, the "orange" coalition formatoin is ByuT’s victory. But as head of state,  Viktor Yushchenko is a winner, too, because he can strengthen his power through the change of the Law on Cabinet and the constitutional reform.

The issue of whether Ukraine should join NATO has returned to the public agenda, sparking off heated debates between supporters and opponents of the country’s bid. In the past, such polemics have usually meant proponents of Euro-Atlantic unity coming under attack by pro-Russian factions in the run up to an important election or a NATO-sponsored military exercise on home soil.

The only thing that causes Ukrainians to passionately take sides, cry foul and then throw up their hands in disappointment more than their football is their politics. More than just a game, politics the Ukrainian way is about unquestioning loyalty to one’s team to the point of bending every rule in the book for the sake of a victory chock-full of financial incentives.

Yulia Tymoshenko was approved as Ukrainian prime minister on December 18. This marks the beginning of Ms. Yulia's second stint as head of government. She was nominated both times by pro-Western president Viktor Yushchenko, whom she helped rise to power during the country's 2004 Orange Revolution, and then hold on to authority during this year's power struggle.

There is more than one way for a state leader to abuse his power, and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is practicing the 'softest' way of all. You can't call him a dictator who imposes his will on his people, as it's not clear what Mr. Yushchenko's will is - beyond the fact that he wants to stay in power, as do all state leaders.

Ukraine held general elections on September 30, but power sharing in the country remains to be decided in subsequent voting devoid of public participation and full of backroom intrigue. For a second time in a row, Ukraine has pulled off an internationally accepted demonstration of the people's will, with rank and file citizens putting an end to a crippling stand off between their two highest executive leaders.

With parties heir to Ukraine's Orange Revolution perched to retake full control of the country’s executive, Orange president Viktor Yushchenko is again demonstrating the kind of dubious indecision that cost them the government in the first place. His one-time revolutionary sidekick, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, was the real winner in the September 30 snap elections, earning enough votes to come back as premier.

The queen of Ukrainian politics, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, was the unofficial victor in Ukraine’s snap elections on Sunday, with exit polls indicating she will head the next government. But Tymoshenko’s ascension to power will be anything but a sexy saunter, as her enemies are unlikely to allow themselves to be sidelined by a pretty populist.

There was a time when educated Ukrainians didn't read the latest bestseller translated from English, or Dostoyevsky (pardon - Taras Shevchenko). During the middle ages, the literate were versed in what are called the Lives of Saints. The typical plot of these religious works is the struggle of a God-fearing Christian against heathens, nature or sinners. Times and tastes have changed, of course.

The hottest topic in Ukrainian politics these days is whether lawmakers should lose their perks. With early elections scheduled for September 30, parliamentary hopefuls need the issue to motivate an otherwise fed up electorate. The tricky part, though, is that all the major blocs are promising the country the same thing - to strip themselves and their colleagues of long-held immunity from prosecution.

Ukraine has got a new prosecutor-general, who really isn’t new at all, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed the country’s politics. Top officials are changed like underwear, socks and sheets. The only problem is that the laundry doesn’t get any cleaner as a result.

Since President Leonid Kuchma left the scene two years ago, along with his questionable multi-vector policy, Ukraine has been undergoing a revolution – between the two Viktors, Donetsk and Kyiv, East and West – and it’s still not clear where the country will stop or when.