Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine was inaugurated as president on Thursday, promising to address corruption, poverty, and political instability in order to regain foreign support for the struggling economy. Despite a low-key ceremony that highlighted the disputed nature of his election against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Yanukovich's inauguration marked a comeback from the 2004 Orange Revolution that had overturned an allegedly rigged election in his favor. In his speech to officials, lawmakers, and foreign dignitaries, Yanukovich emphasized the country's significant challenges, including massive debts, poverty, corruption, and economic collapse, while asserting that his team had developed a strategy for moving Ukraine forward. He talked about the lack of foreign investment in Ukraine and the unpredictable business climate, emphasizing the need for political stability, reducing corruption, and implementing clear rules for the relationship between the government and businesses to build trust with investors and international financial institutions. Ukraine's economy has been severely affected by the global economic downturn, particularly in its steel and chemical exports, leading to a significant drop in the value of the hryvnia. The country relies on a $16.4 billion IMF bailout program, but lending was halted last year and is expected to resume only after stability is restored. The finance ministry announced that an IMF technical mission is scheduled to visit on April 7th. This often results in a visit from IMF officials, who will then determine whether to resume the program. Yanukovich, a former mechanic supported by wealthy industrialists, had a difficult childhood in eastern Ukraine and a history of minor criminal offenses. He is expected to improve relations with Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet ruler, following a period of estrangement during Viktor Yushchenko's pro-Western leadership. Yanukovich has suggested potential compromises with Russia regarding the Black Sea fleet forces in Crimea and has proposed a consortium involving Russia to manage Ukraine's gas pipelines. However, he aims to revise a decade-old gas supply agreement between Ukraine, Tymoshenko, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He has expressed his intention to pursue a well-balanced foreign policy and has committed to strengthening relations with the European Union. He stated in his speech that he will maintain open options and strive for equal and mutually beneficial relationships with Russia, the EU, and the United States in order to achieve optimal results for Ukraine. According to his website, he confirmed plans to visit Brussels next week and Moscow in early March. Yanukovich defeated Prime Minister Tymoshenko by 3.5 percentage points but only received support from one-third of the 37 million voters. The voting results showed a clear divide between Russian-speaking voters in the east and south, who supported Yanukovich, and Ukrainian-speaking voters in the west and center, who voted for Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko gave up her legal challenge to Yanukovich's election recently, but she still believes he was not rightfully elected. She and most of her bloc in parliament did not attend the ceremony, making it seem insincere. Despite Yanukovich's call for a capable government, Tymoshenko is resisting efforts to remove her as prime minister, indicating ongoing political tension in the near future. She is working to rally her allies in parliament, while his party and supporters are trying to weaken her coalition and form a new one. Creating a coalition involves complex negotiations and may take a considerable amount of time. If Yanukovich is unable to form a new coalition, he will have no choice but to reluctantly announce new parliamentary elections, which will only extend the period of uncertainty.