had arrived . In the West , Poland , the Baltics and Eastern Germany rebuilt and prospered on a democratic and capitalist basis by joining the European Union .
In Belarus , Central Asia , Russia and Ukraine , criminals and former members of the security services moved into the power vacuum ; democracy was corrupted by the nascent oligarchs who bought votes and put their placemen into political power . In Ukraine in 2004 the Presidential election had two main candidates – Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych . Yuschenko faced West , Yanukovich faced East . When Yanukovich was declared the winner , Ukrainians revolted at what they saw as a rigged election . I stood in Maidan , the largest square in Kiev , alongside the revolutionaries . I watched columns of young people dogtrotting through the streets with flares and banners . Across the nation millions of ordinary people , grandparents , parents , office and construction workers , students and teachers gathered for days and then weeks in protest . Finally , Ukraine ’ s Supreme Court annulled the election ; a revote was called for and Yuschenko won 52 % to 44 %. The Orange revolution came to an end with Yushchenko ’ s inauguration in January 2005 . Ukraine ’ s economy picked up a little . The gangsters were subsumed into the official power structures and half of the oligarchs ruled the country through Yuschenko . Corruption from the previous administration was exposed . A minister committed suicide twice . Journalists were murdered . But corruption remained rampant ; from traffic police to civil servants and lowly paid judges , money bought favours . Supermarkets and shopping malls were built and in the major cities people could buy western goods openly . But telecoms infrastructure , distribution , supermarkets , petrol stations were owned by the oligarchs . State companies were sold to political cronies ; the oligarchs grew in wealth and power , competed solely amongst themselves and discouraged entrepreneurs and market competition . The authorities in Belarus and Russia , whose elections were at best questionable , became extremely worried about a democratically elected Government on their doorstep .
Especially as Ukraine ’ s government and West-facing oligarchs were no longer in their direct control . In 2010 Yanukovich , reportedly a convicted criminal , won the Presidential election . The leading opposition candidate , Yulia Tymoshenko was , and remained for some time , Prime Minister . She declared the vote was rigged ; the Supreme Court agreed but she withdrew her objections ( purportedly under pressure from exposure of alleged illegal and corrupt gas and oil negotiations with the Kremlin ) and Yanukovich was inaugurated . Yanukovich ’ s government promptly arrested Tymoshenko who was subsequently convicted of embezzlement and abuse of power and fined $ 188 million . With no opposition left to
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