YUSHCHENKO'S POPULARITY SLIDES IN UKRAINE

By MARA D. BELLABY

The Associated Press

Wednesday, September 7, 2005; 2:16 PM

KIEV, Ukraine -- Maria Onishchuk rushed to Kiev's Independence Square last fall to stand shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands, waving orange flags and chanting "YU-SHCHEN-KO!" Nine months later, she's back. But now, the 60-year-old grandmother is standing under the red flag of Ukraine's Socialist Party, demonstrating against the man she helped usher into the presidency.Disappointment is catching up with President Viktor Yushchenko, whose 7-month-old government is being battered by corruption allegations, political infighting and economic problems."We thought life would get better ... but it turns out the Orange Revolution was just a fairy tale," Onishchuk said at a protest this week. Prices are rising, and the economy is slowing. Yushchenko's chief of staff quit, warning that a corrupt circle of advisers surrounds the president. "Ukrainians gave Yushchenko a giant credit of faith, but now they want results," said Andriy Bichenko, an analyst at Ukraine's Razumkov think tank. The center's latest poll, conducted a month ago, found that for the first time since the Orange Revolution, the percentage of Ukrainians who think the country is headed in the wrong direction exceeds those who think it is in good shape. Forty-three percent said Ukraine is on the wrong path, a jump from 23 percent in April. About 32 percent felt the country is doing well, down sharply from 54 percent last spring. The poll of 2,011 people had an error margin of about two percentage points. The poll was conducted before the latest corruption allegations against Yushchenko's administration, which was swept to power largely on his promise to root out the corruption that thrived under his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma. Yushchenko also promised to create a million jobs a year, raise living standards and put Ukraine's 48 million people on equal footing with their powerful neighbor, Russia.

EVEN SUPPORTERS SAY HE OVERREACHED.

"No government in the world could deliver on all the expectations. Some were really irrational," said Inna Pidluska, a political analyst at the Europe Foundation. "People wanted a different life, wanted to be happy, wanted a dramatic change from what they were used to ... how could anyone do that?"

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, responsible for the government's day-to-day business, decided on a populist course of raising monthly pensions, paying off salary arrears and boosting other spending. But as the government bumps up its spending, the economy is slowing. The official projection now says the economy will grow by about 6 percent this year, half the gain of 2004. Analysts think Yushchenko is likely to opt for more short-term spending programs to appease voters because he needs to do well in March parliamentary elections. Constitutional changes will hand many of his powers to lawmakers. But another populist budget could derail economic reforms being demanded by foreign investors. Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn warned that Ukraine can't afford another year of such a "social budget." Ukrainians are gloomy over the rising cost of food, utilities and fuel. The government's decision to strengthen the currency, the hryvna, against the dollar ate away at the buying power of its salary and pension increases. "Even salo is becoming unaffordable," complained Onishchuk, referring to the seasoned lard that Ukrainians consider a staple. The price for a pound has jumped from 72 cents to $2.55, she said. Yushchenko hasn't commented on the corruption allegations, or about his fall in popularity, but his supporters predict he will weather the unhappiness. "After elections, people compare the president with their ideal and it always results in disappointment," said Boris Bespaliy, a lawmaker in the president's Our Ukraine party. "During elections, people compare the person with his competitors and so they are more objective." Another colleague, Mykola Pozhivanov, said Ukrainians weren't giving Yushchenko enough time. Change for the better is "a long process," he said. For all the disappointment, Ukrainians still like Yushchenko significantly more than Kuchma, whose approval rating was around 10 percent. Yushchenko's ratings vary, but most polls say more than 50 percent of Ukrainians approve of at least some of his moves _ close to the 52 percent who voted him into office. "I'm not a romantic, I understand it takes time," said Oleh Skripka, lead singer of the popular band Vopli Vidoplyasova, which performed on Independence Square during the Orange Revolution protests. This year, Skripka turned down a request for a repeat performance for the parliamentary vote.

"I do want to help the new government ... but (it) needs to get back in touch with the people who really took it to heart, who suffered for its success," Skripka said.