Presidential Election Kicks Off

The presidential election campaign in Ukraine has officially kicked off. Candidates must be a Ukrainian citizen over 35 years old, speak the state language, will have lived in the country for at least 10 years before voting day and must have put down a cash deposit of approximately 72,000 dollars. The deadline for nominees to register with the Central Election Commission is February 3rd.

“The cash deposit was increased. (However), the two and a half million hryvnia will be returned to those candidates who advance to the second round. The sum of money is relatively large for the ordinary Ukrainian – but for major political players, this is an acceptable amount,” Andriy Sukharyna, a political analyst for the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation said.

However, some would say the presidential race really started in the autumn, when billboards began appearing with the faces and slogans of future candidates. She says that during this time, dozens of charity events fronted by high-profile politicians have been held.

“There has been a significant increase in the number of campaigns, media coverage, motivational and mobilizational material. These are in fact all the signs of an electoral race. /// The number of charity events has also grown as well – this is a typical form of electoral race. Between September to December, 124 activities of this type were recorded, when some charitable organizations or a foundation appear that, on behalf of the candidate, distributes his materials, visual advertising, and holds certain charity events,” Olha Ayvazovska, from the civil organization Opora said.

Among the main candidates or potential candidates are the current president Petro Poroshenko, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the head of the Radical Party Oleh Lyashko and the former defense minister Anatoly Hrytsenko. Then, from outside the political arena, there is show-man Volodymyr Zelensky and Okean Elzy frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk.

“If Poroshenko is re-elected as president, there will be certain changes but they’ll be rather tactical. The main directions of state policy will be preserved. There is a high probability that the current foreign policy will continue – a pro-European, pro-Western foreign policy. I do not expect the return of the pro-Russian forces,” political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said.

The presidential election could be held in two rounds. The first vote will be held on March 31. If no single candidate gets an overall majority, then the second round runoff will take place.