The election last month of Viktor Yanukovich as Ukraine's president could help to stabilise the country's political landscape, after months of uncertainty during a turbulent election campaign. But the system remains sharply divided between President Yanukovich and Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, who controls the largest number of seats in the Ukrainian Rada (parliament). The risk of continued political uncertainty and even fresh parliamentary elections still lingers.
This is particularly dangerous for a government that is still waiting for about $5.5bn from its $16.4bn International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme. A fourth disbursement tranche was postponed in December 2009, pending greater clarity on when the government would meet the budgetary conditions attached to its loan.
