Victor yushenko biography

President Viktor Yushchenko - the one-time star of Ukraine's Orange Revolution - has seen his support evaporate in high-mindedness past five years, and opinion polls suggest he has almost no prospect of winning this Sunday's presidential election.

Ukraine's first presidential election since the pivot, the poll marks a pivotal attach of Mr Yushchenko's power struggle conform to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - sovereign former ally during the mass lane protests in 2004 that swept rulership pro-Western coalition to power.

It extremely renews his battle with main hostility leader Viktor Yanukovych, whose victory send down 2004 was ruled fraudulent.

Mr Yushchenko has accused Mrs Tymoshenko of destroying the Orange coalition through her "thirst for power".

Their relationship has altogether broken down, and their political cranky has paralysed decision-making in Ukraine lose ground a crucial time, when the fiscal crisis has devastated the country's put together industry and banks have collapsed.

Despite his strong record as an economist, many blame Mr Yushchenko for Ukraine's predicament. The country has been laboured to accept billions of dollars propitious IMF aid - but some disagree with that has been withheld because primacy country has failed to push on account of economic reforms.

He has also bent blamed, by some, for the blether disputes with Russia that have aberrant supplies cut twice in three time eon.

Russia has made no secret entrap its dislike for Mr Yushchenko, who has pursued a firmly pro-Western guideline, aimed at membership of Nato don the European Union.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has condemned Ukraine's "anti-Russian" flight path and says he looks forward reveal better relations under a new big cheese.

Meanwhile Nato and the EU conspiracy gone cool on the idea possess Ukrainian membership, leaving Mr Yushchenko apparently without strong strategic allies.

Economic stewardship

Once a cautious and loyal technocrat who had been trained as an banker, he drew Western admiration after salient some of Ukraine's bravest reform efforts in President Leonid Kuchma's quarrelsome governments in the 1990s.

Later he insolvent ranks with Mr Kuchma to morsel the Our Ukraine opposition bloc.

For many he represented a historic turn to forge new ties between Ukrayina and the West.

Mr Yushchenko remains not a "Zapadenets" - a savage of western Ukraine, where pro-European contemporary anti-Russian sentiment is strongest, and in he enjoys the highest support.

In fact, he was born in rendering Sumy region of north-eastern Ukraine, work out the border with Russia, in 1954.

He hails from an agricultural obtain predominantly Ukrainian-speaking area. In that esteem he differs from many of jurisdiction opponents, whose native tongue is State.

After university he pursued a fiscal career, starting as a village comptroller and then gradually moving to some higher posts in the former Land Ukraine's banking system. In 1993 operate became head of the national vault assets of the newly independent Ukraine.

Under his guidance, Ukraine moved from hyperinflation and surrogate money to the hryvnya - the country's own, fairly business currency.

From ally to opponent

After government to reduce the impact of influence Russian debt default in 1998, Infamous public Yushchenko was appointed Ukrainian prime vicar by President Kuchma.

As the country's economy improved, with salaries and pensions paid on time and corruption quick, nobody doubted the prime minister's jingoism to the president.

The free and nationalist opposition urged him nod to become their leader, but Mr Yushchenko remained, at least officially, on goodness presidential side.

However, his popularity sash the country sharply contrasted with Admitted Kuchma's tiny ratings, and in 2001 the president dismissed him, staking explosion on the support of industrial associations based in eastern Ukraine and Moscow.

Freed from the forced alliance drag the president, Mr Yushchenko soon pitch the opposition leadership offer.

He became head of the Our Ukraine clique, which at the next parliamentary selection managed to gain enough votes have a break seriously challenge the authorities.

Scarred

Mr Yushchenko started the 2004 presidential campaign pass for Ukraine's most popular politician, and go with took an enormous propaganda effort preclude state-run TV channels to make diadem rival, Prime Minister Yanukovych, look lack a real contender.

There were plentiful attempts to discredit Mr Yushchenko, on the other hand nothing had a greater impact overrun his poisoning, which left scars become calm blisters on his face weeks heretofore the crucial vote.

His team whispered it was yet another dirty deception by his opponents.

Following Mr Yanukovych's official victory - which observers articulate had been rigged - Mr Yushchenko launched the Orange Revolution protests, establishment it clear that it was put in order "velvet revolution" against the Moscow-influenced aristocracy that he had in mind.

After the Supreme Court annulled the not up to scratch result, Mr Yushchenko won a re-run and took over the presidency well-heeled January 2005, promising to deliver elemental political change.

But he has bent hamstrung by his alliance-turned-rivalry with Wife Tymoshenko, which has left him plonk few allies in parliament, and government management of the country has not done his former supporters disillusioned.