Can a Chocolate Mogul Save Ukraine?
Poroshenko must cut the ties that bind politics and business
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Part of the mystery of Ukraine is why, after two historic popular uprisings in a single decade against a political system corrupted by business tycoons, Ukrainians would choose yet another billionaire as president. Part of the tragedy of Ukraine is that Ukrainians didn’t have much choice.
In the recent presidential election, chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko beat out fellow billionaire Serhiy Tigipko and former “gas princess” Yulia Tymoshenko. Exit polls suggest that Poroshenko won more than 55 percent of the vote, erasing the need for a second round and the prolonged uncertainty that would have caused—a vitally important outcome for a country on the verge of civil war.