In the Maidan, Kyiv’s revolutionary square, the protests are winding down and the politicians are taking over. In the uprising of the past several months, the protesters pulled off a remarkable feat of populist leverage: they forced out Viktor Yanukovych, the corrupt President, and established themselves as a political force. When ministers were chosen for the transitional government, their names were announced to the crowds in the Maidan before the parliament voted on them. Some Maidan-linked figures with no government experience drew cheers and whistles. Established politicians like Oleksandr Turchynov, the acting President, were booed loudly.