The political squabbling had been going on for months. But on Thursday, former political rivals Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine, and Viktor Yanukovych reached an agreement  which will see Yanukovych become the country's prime minister.

The political stalemate began in March when parliamentary elections resulted in a debacle for Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party. In the months since, he has tried hard to put together a governing coalition with Yulia Timoshenko, whose party came in second in the vote. Timoshenko was Yushchenko's close ally in the autumn 2004 Orange Revolution which saw Yushchenko escorted into the presidency over the pro-Russian candidate Yanukovych on a wave of nationwide protests. Since then, however, Yushchenko's popularity has plummeted amid higher gas prices, a sluggish economy and an inability to unite the deeply divided country.

"When politicians unite their forces, society will do the same … and that is very important," Yanukovych said on Thursday. The Ukrainian parliament is scheduled to vote on his candidacy on Friday. During the Orange Revolution, Yanukovych had become the bogeyman with his pro-Russian stance. He or his allies had been suspected of having poisoned Yushchenko with a near deadly dose of dioxin during the bitter 2004 campaign for the presidency.

The Financial Times Deutschland calls the Ukrainian decision a political "tie." The new head of government will be Viktor Yanukovych -- "a man of yesterday." For the former revolutionaries, this may be a disappointment, "but for the country as a whole, a grand coalition which unites both camps is the best solution right now." The challenge for the new government will be to find a balance between the pro-European west and the pro-Russia east and the "chances are not so bad." After months of political chaos following the inconclusive March elections, "this time it was about substance." And the editorial notes that "this cumbersome process is the expression of a maturing democracy." Yushchenko, on the other hand, is "the tragic figure" in all of this. "The president, who brought the big change to his country, turns out to be a man of transition. The next presidential election will mark the end of the saga of the revolutionary hero in history books."

"Irony of history or mere cynicism?" asks leftist Die Tageszeitung on Friday. "The politically dead Russophile Yanukovych has been resurrected and has -- paradoxically -- more power than before." The paper is unimpressed by the political battles waged in Kiev this spring. "What the Ukrainians had to experience these past four months can be described as 'absurd theater' at best." Decisions and announced positions could not be trusted as shown by head of the Socialist party Alexander Moros, who backed out of a coalition with Yulia Timoshenko and President Yushchenko -- and then used the votes of the communists and Yanukovych's party to become president of the Parliament. But the paper is convinced that things are looking up for the country. "As scary as the talks in Kiev seemed to be: They represent a lesson in democracy," which is "an important experience" for the Ukrainians. The country now needs an active opposition, something "Ukrainian politicians now need to learn." The editorial supposes that especially former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko is capable of "flipping the switch from obstruction to opposition." And this "would be another belated and positive result of the Orange Revolution."

Center-right daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung thinks it's "about time that a government is formed, which promotes modernization, tackles the necessary reforms, develops a prudent relationship with Russia -- and can hold the country together." The editorial sees "a sort of grand coalition" between Yushchenko and his rival Yanukovych as "probably the only one able to overcome the political paralysis as well as the social-mental rift in Ukraine," even if "it may look like a conspiracy of power." And it "sounds encouraging" that "Yanukovych accepts the politics of western orientation, consolidation of democracy and market economy and has promised to continue supporting them."

Conservative daily Die Welt titles its editorial "The Art of Balance," and ambiguously writes that "the impossible seems to become reality: Two Viktors have won and now govern Ukraine." The paper links the success of the former Ukrainian leader to several election victories in Poland in the mid 80's, which "led their country to membership in the NATO and EU without ifs and buts," hoping for a similar future for Ukraine. But, right now, the country is split in two parts: the "heart of the country in the west" and the "stomach of Ukraine in the richer east," where Russian is spoken and natural resources are plenty. "One day, Ukraine will have to decide between this side and the western option."