Ukraine holds presidential elections

PanARMENIAN.Net - Presidential elections in Ukraine are under way. This is the fifth time the country is electing a President since gaining independence. Polling stations are open to all voters from 9:00 a.m. till 20:00 p.m.



The presidential campaign was officially launched on October 19, 2009. The country's Central Election Commission registered 18 out of the 65 people applying for candidacy. Among presidential contenders are the country's Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and Head of the Party of Regions Victor Yanukovich who also stood for the 2004 elections. The country's current leader Victor Yanukov ich is also fighting for a second term.



Other candidates are ex-Speaker and leader of Front of Changes party Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ex-Chairman of Ukrainian National Bank Sergey Tigipko, as well as current Speaker Vladimir Litvin, Interfax reports.



"The presidential ballot will not be disrupted," Head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission Vladimir Shapoval told a briefing.



Under the law on Presidential elections, the President of Ukraine is elected for the term of 5 years. For holding victory in the presidential ballot, the contender should receive over 50% of votes. Otherwise, the candidate with the maximum number of votes will run for a second round due in three week's time (February 7).



Twice winner in presidential elections in Ukraine was Leonid Kuchma. The country's first leader Leonid Kravchuk was elected on December 1, 1991 when Ukraine was parallelly holding an independence referendum.



The second presidential ballot was held in 1994. Presidential and parliamentary elections were appointed after miners' strikes, with 7 contender running for presidency. Kravchuk received 38.36% of votes in ten first round, his chief cintender being the country's ex-premier Kuchma (31.17%). As a result of the second round, the acting president received 45.6% of votes, ranking as the second candidate after Kuchma (52.15%).



During the third elections held in 1999 there were 13 candidates running for presidency



The fourth presidential elections were held in 2004, with 24 contenders running for the post of the country's leader. Elections were accompanied by mass protests on Independence Square. Considering the electoral wrongdoings , the Supreme Court made decision on holding repeated which resulted in the victory of Victor Yushchenko ( December 26, 2004).