As people began gathering at St. Sophia Square in Kyiv, where the second part of the inauguration of Ukraine’s newly-elected President Petro Poroshenko was going to be held, the heat was increasing and anxiety was rising.
The “chocolate billionaire” Poroshenko won early
presidential elections on May 25 in the first round with 54.7 percent of votes
after Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in late February.
When Poroshenko finally arrived at 11 a.m., the
Ukrainians who came to greet the new head of the state were not disappointed. When
he stepped out of the car, he waved to the people and only then proceeded with
the ceremony. In the square, the commanders of Ukrainian military forces officially introduced
themselves to Poroshenko and the president’s flag was hoisted. After the
ceremony, Poroshenko walked into St. Sophia Cathedral to get blessed by church leaders.
Some 2,000 people came to the square to witness the
ceremony.
Tamara Maksymenko, one of the visitors, said she was
satisfied with the president’s performance at the inauguration.
“He looked calm and confident, I had a pleasant
impression,” she said, but added that she wished the ceremony was held at
Kyiv’s Independence Square, where EuroMaidan protests took place and “where the
power was actually given to him,” she said.
Maksymenko came to St. Sophia Square with the flags of
Ukraine and EU in hands. Many in the crowd were dressed in vyshyvankas,
Ukrainian national embroidered shirts. Some women had traditional wreathes with
ribbons on their heads.
All say they came to support their president and to
wish him well in his work. Some even came from other cities to pass on their messages of encouragement.
“I could not stay at home, this inauguration is the
realization of our dreams and hopes,” said Ihor Kabaniuk from Dnipropetrovsk. It was the first time Kabaniuk has watched a president’s inauguration ceremony in person.
“I have a three-year-old kid and she already sings the
anthem by heart and goes everywhere with the flag, and I do believe this
president can improve our country for her,” he told Kyiv Post.
Although Kabaniuk feels rather ambivalent about
where the inauguration ceremony had to be held, other witnesses supported
Poroshenko’s decision to avoid a ceremony at Kyiv’s main square.
“Inauguration is a celebration. And Maidan is a place
where blood was shed, a place of grief,” said Oleksandra Yevseeva from Kyiv.
Lidia Romanko, a pensioner from Kirovograd, agreeed with that.
“Our president made the right decision. A lot of people
have lost their lives. No more pathos was needed at this ceremony,” she said.
Romanko’s son has been killed by criminals a year
ago and the woman believes that the new president can help bring her son’s
offenders to justice.
“He is a good organizer, a confident manager,
demanding with himself and everyone else. And just a good man,” Romanenko said.
Romanenko says she met Poroshenko in person once and
is sure he has the qualities necessary to make a good president.
“He came up to me at (Ukrainian
assassinated journalist Georgiy) Gongadze’s commemoration rally. I was standing there
with banner. He hugged me, and I said it was hard for me to fight the system
alone, and he answered ‘You are not alone, I am with you,’” the woman recalled with a proud smile.
