President Yushchenko’s New Course for Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine -- It was an unprecedented, truly revolutionary inauguration of Viktor Yushchenko, which 64 foreign delegations envied. More than 550,000 people gathered in the centre of Ukraine’s capital on Sunday to celebrate the triumph of Yushchenko and his swearing in as president in the parliament, which continued as unofficial public inauguration with Yushchenko’s highly emotional speech delivered before the crowd on Kiev's Independence Square.

Yushchenko Taking Oath on the Bible and Constitution

People from all over Ukraine, many with tears in their eyes, and guests from some 80 nations celebrated Viktor Yushchenko’s inauguration with a burst of orange balloons, fireworks, doves, songs and chants.

The newly inaugurated Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko promised to steer a new course for Ukraine – away from “system corruption” and “political cronyism” and towards the European Union’s full membership as a main strategic goal.

''Ukraine will stand against all evil," Yushchenko told the crowd on Independence Square, where tens of thousands of his supporters were standing days and nights in the unprecedented campaign of peaceful protest, crying out that he had been robbed of the presidency by government’s fraud.

Yushchenko, with his face still disfigured from the poisoning in September, called his inauguration “a common victory, the victory of freedom over tyranny” and said Ukraine is ''now in the centre of Europe."

The enthusiastic crowd waived yellow-and-blue and orange flags, sang the national anthem of Ukraine and repeatedly chanted ''Yu-shchen-ko! Yu-shchen-ko!".

Yushchenko said that “Ukraine's place 'is in the European Union. My goal is Ukraine in a united Europe. Our road into the future is the road on which a united Europe is headed." Earlier the EU has made clear that membership for Ukraine is not yet on the agenda, saying the country should instead settle for closer ties.

Now Ukraine has to show substantial progress in many areas: Yushchenko must turn the country around after years of corruption, eradicate poverty and shadow economy.

''We will create new jobs. Whoever wants to work will have the opportunity to work and get an appropriate salary," Yushchenko stated.

''We will fight corruption in Ukraine. Taxes will be enforced, business will be transparent, . . . we will become an honest nation," the new president of Ukraine promised.

Addressing to Ukraine’s native-Russian-speaking population, who mainly supported his rival, Yushchenko said: ''Everyone can teach his children the language of his forefathers."

It is believed, however, that Yushchenko may face difficulties in fulfilling his electoral promises.

Supporters of Yanukovych, who was backed by Russia, grouped together on the square to wave white-and-blue flags, Yanukovych’s campaign colours. They chanted ''Shame! Shame!" as Yushchenko spoke.

Today, Viktor Yushchenko is visiting Moscow, in his first foreign trip as Ukraine’s president, for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Putin had congratulated Yanukovych on his presidential “victory” and supported him in other ways.