The successful election of a President by the Ukrainian people in internationally certified elections is a major victory for Ukraine's struggle for freedom. Past elections in Ukraine have exhibited stark divisions between east and west. Significantly President-elect Petro Poroshenko won districts from one end of Ukraine to the other. It seems clear that the events of the past year and Russia's violation of their sovereignty unified Ukrainians as never before. While it is clear that President Poroshenko has a mandate, the challenges he confronts are daunting. He must rebuild the Ukrainian Government and an economy which has been weakened by the previous Presidents' corruption, while countering Putin in the east.