Cameramen can never resist a nice shot of the loser. Whether it's a clash at the lawcourts, a politician who has been given the sack, or an Olympic athelete who has managed to trip over the last hurdle, a good long shot of the defeated seems to be the sine qua non of a satisfactory piece of reporting. Each year at the Oscars, the producers thoughtfully see to it that we can watch all four of the nominees at the crucial moment when the envelope is being opened. The unlucky nominees may be utterly crestfallen, spitting with rage or simply flabbergasted at the Academy's decision, but they are all obliged to exude an air of cheerful gratefulness at their loss.
This Sunday it was outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma who was in the picture. Yet unlike many of the Hollywood stars, the much-slurred former premier made little attempt to conceal his displeasure, and looked very much as if he was eating a lemon for the duration of the ceremony. In the weeks leading up to the event he had felt compelled to sack a host of regional governors throughout the country, and now he was watching his own demise, an event that was simultaneously being beamed to televisions across the globe.
The parliament hall itself was graced by dozens of world leaders for Yushchenko's swearing in. Conspicuously absent was Vladimir Putin, although a rather stung looking Russian representative stood in his place. Besides the numerous presidents, US Secretary of State Colen Powell also attended the ceremony.
Yushchenko's insistence on the use of the golden mace of seventeenth century national hero Chmielnicki, a warrior who had rebelled against the Polish hegemony, might have registered as a defiant signal in previous generations. But in fact, the use of the mace, which had to be specially flown in from the Polish War Museum in Warsaw, was largely ornamental.
Indeed, of all the heads of state that were introduced during the ceremony, it was Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski who gained the most cheers. Kwasniewski was one of the first world figures to fly in and mediate in the Ukrainian election crisis last December, and the Ukrainians appreciation of the Poles' efforts could not have been more perfectly expressed than by the cheers of the parliament . Erstwhile hero of the Solidarity movement Lech Walesa was also in attendance. Like Kwasniewski, he had flown to Kiev during the December crisis.
Later, the celebrations moved to Kiev's Independence Square, where tens of thousands greeted their newly annointed leader:
"My goal is Ukraine in a united Europe'' Yushchenko declared to the crowds. " Our road to the future is the road of a united Europe."
What the future holds for the President, who so narrowly escaped death by poisoning just a handful of months ago, remains to be seen. A relatively small yet incensed group of his opponents were also present on the square to denounce his victory. For them, the Yushchenko vote was as much a corruption as Western observers claimed the first one to be.
Yushchenko's first public engagement this week will be a trip to Moscow, where he will attempt to salvage his country's relations with Russia. A sensible first step to be sure.
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