Od stabilizacji do stagnacji = From stabilisation to stagnation

After winning the 2010 presidential election, Viktor Yanukovych’s team developed an ambitious programme of reforms. The return to a presidential system of government created favourable conditions for their implementation: it allowed Yanukovych to consolidate more power than any other Ukrainian president before him. The authorities launched an overhaul of the tax and the pension systems, and of the Ukrainian gas sector. Kyiv also completed its negotiations on an Association Agreement with the EU. However, this reformist zeal progressively diminished as the parliamentary election approached, the economy slowed down, and the polls showed a decline in support for the ruling party. Many of the reforms still remain in the planning stages, and in many areas the government has moved backwards. Yanukovych has proved unable to make systemic changes, and has increasingly used his powers to crush political opposition. The outcome of the latest parliamentary elections prevents the formation of a stable parliamentary majority, which in turn, removes any chance of reform before the 2015 presidential ballot.