Ukraine: The struggle continues

ON SUNDAY, Ukraine held its third general election since the Orange Revolution of 2004, and the outcome reflected the country's nearly even split between pro-Russian forces and those that lean toward the West. This election will hardly resolve the East-West tension at the core of Ukrainian politics, and it cannot be expected to overcome deeply rooted corruption and stark economic disparities. Nevertheless, the openness of political debate and the politicians' quest for the consent of the governed suggest that Ukraine is not turning back from the Orange Revolution.

Because the West-leaning parties of President Viktor Yushchenko and former prime minister Yulia Timoshenko gained only a slight edge over the pro-Russian party of current Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and its Communist allies, the reconciled former rivals Yushchenko and Timoshenko may have to form Ukraine's next government by drawing smaller parties into a coalition. A patchwork of this sort can be awkward. It can lack a mandate for radical reforms. But it can teach the democratic virtue of settling differences by means of imperfect compromises.

Election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe attested to Ukraine's election being free and fair. This seal of approval applies not only to the conduct of Sunday's vote, but also to the indispensable conditions for a legitimate exercise in popular sovereignty. These include equal access to national media, the coverage and commentary of a free press, and a modicum of transparency from the parties about their plans and platforms.

Ukraine's advances along the path to an open society stand in striking contrast to the authoritarian petro-state being built in Russia. On Monday, while Ukrainians were tallying the ballots in their close and competitive election, Russian President Vladimir Putin was declaring that he himself would lead the Kremlin's United Russia Party in parliamentary elections scheduled for December. And then he dropped his first overt hint that he may assume the post of prime minister after he leaves the presidency.

This would be a premiership with expanded powers. It is left to the Russian public to guess how long Putin might wait before telling a hand-picked successor to step aside so that the former KGB officer could resume his role as president without violating a constitutional prohibition against three successive terms.

Ukraine may have its own oligarchs who buy political favors; Ukrainian politicians may be subject to petty vendettas, and the country's rust belt may be uncompetitive with Western industries. But Ukrainians, unlike Russians, have a free press and the right to change their rulers at the ballot box. Ukraine is moving toward Europe.