Ukraine’s Maidan protest unites different beliefs
Here is a look at some of the main groups driving the protests which removed Yanukovych from power last week.
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ORANGE HEROINE LOYALISTS
Yulia Tymoshenko, the Orange Revolution heroine and former prime minister, commands an ardent following of millions of Western-leaning Ukrainians. Yanukovych’s main rival, she was released from jail last week after spending 2 ½ years in prison on charges of abuse of office that the West condemned as politically motivated. While Tymoshenko remained in jail, writing emotional letters to protesters, her ally Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a technocratic former economy minister, was a prominent leader of the protests. The party calls for pro-Western reforms and integration with the European Union. But it is also associated with the failed hopes of the 2004 Orange Revolution, which ousted Yanukovych from the presidency amid allegations of rigged elections. The new government was paralyzed by constant bickering among Orange leaders, allowing Yanukovych to return to power in 2010. The gold-braided Tymoshenko’s release poses new opportunities but also new challenges for the party. Labeled Ukraine’s “Joan of Arc,” she is a divisive figure, adored but also mistrusted for her alleged corruption and fierce hunger for power.
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PUNCHING ABOVE THE CROWD
Towering over protesters, and over fellow opposition leaders, Vitali Klitschko — a 6-foot 7-inch former world heavyweight boxing champion — is shown in many polls to be Ukraine’s most popular opposition politician. He leads the Udar — or Punch — party that entered parliament following 2012 parliamentary elections, presenting itself as a new pro-Western force untainted by the failures of the Orange government. Popular because of his sports victories and free from the stain of corruption, Klitschko announced that he will run in presidential elections scheduled for May 25. Though he is an unskilled orator and not widely view as an intellectual, Klitschko won the protesters’ support for appearing at many confrontations and trying to prevent violence between activists and police. He once even got sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Now he will have to compete with Tymoshenko, a veteran politician and a fiery orator, for the hearts of his people.
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THE NATIONALISTS
The nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) Party has played a vocal role in the protests, seizing a government building in the center of Kyiv that was later turned into a protest dormitory and sending scores of protesters to Kyiv’s Maidan from its base in the west of the country, which is the heart of the Ukrainian nationalism. The party entered parliament in 2012 and teamed up with Tymoshenko’s and Klitschko’s parties to oppose Yanukovych. It is highly controversial. On the one hand, it stands firmly for EU integration and a Western future of Ukraine. On the other, it has been accused of anti-Semitic and xenophobic rhetoric, including staging a Christmas skit on the Maidan that offended many Jews. The group’s statements have drawn criticism from Israel and some watchdogs. Despite the controversies, top Western diplomats have actively engaged with Svoboda, shaking hands and posing for photos with its leader Oleh Tyahnybok. Svoboda members have died in the violence that prompted Yanukovych to flee. The party can be expected to seek government posts or political influence.
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