On the last day of March 2019, the most important event in the political life of Ukraine is scheduled - the presidential elections in the country. The further development of relations with Russia, the way out of the economic crisis and the solution of internal problems will depend on who will take the post of head of state. The Central Election Commission of Ukraine began to accept documents for registration of candidates on the last day of 2018, and this stage will end on February 3.
Registration start
In the elections on March 31, 2019, serious competition is expected, at the moment registration is in full swing and more than 10 people have already become official candidates. Among them can be found both representatives of major political forces in Ukraine and a large number of self-nominated candidates. The CEC makes a decision on each application within five days, so the full list of presidential candidates will be announced no earlier than 8 February.
On the day of the start of the election campaign - December 31, 2018 - Igor Shevchenko was the first to submit the documents to the CEC. He is best known as the head of the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine in the government of Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Shevchenko held this post for just over six months and left on July 2, 2015 due to allegations of corruption. Goes to the polls without the support of any political forces.
In the first week of 2019, four more people officially received their candidate IDs. Serhiy Kaplin represents the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine at the elections and is a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada. Valentin Nalyvaichenko is known as the head of the Security Service of Ukraine in 2006-2010, is in opposition to the current government, and heads the Justice party. Andriy Sadovy is the leader of the political association "Samopomich", for more than 12 years he has been the mayor of Lviv. Economist Vitaly Skotsik, who teaches at the National University of Bioresources and Nature Management, is running as a self-nominated candidate.
List of candidates
Every day the list of candidates for the presidency of Ukraine is updated with new names. Verkhovna Rada deputy and self-nominated candidate Vitaliy Kupriy was officially registered on January 15. Another acting people's deputy, Yevgeny Muraev, goes to the polls with the support of the Nashi party.
For the third election campaign in a row, Anatoly Gritsenko, the leader of the political movement "Civil Position", has taken part in the struggle for the presidency. He was the People's Deputy of Ukraine of two convocations, as well as the Minister of Defense in 2005-2007. According to opinion polls, Gritsenko has one of the highest ratings among voters.
Businessman Gennady Balashov became the official candidate on January 18 and represents the 5.10 party. Olga Bogomolets, People's Deputy and Honored Doctor of Ukraine, is running for the presidency for the second time.
According to opinion polls, the next candidate, Yuriy Boyko, has a good chance in the elections. He is known as the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2012-2014, and even earlier worked as the Minister of Energy. Until the end of 2018, Boyko headed the Opposition Bloc, an association of political parties, but he will fight for the presidency with the support of the For Life party.
Verkhovna Rada deputy and self-nominated candidate Roman Nasirov officially entered the election race on January 21. On the same day, Oleksandr Shevchenko, another People's Deputy, was registered as a candidate from the UKROP party.
Oleg Lyashko is running for the presidency for the second time on behalf of the "Radical Party" created by him, experts predict a place for him in the top three or five leaders. In 2014, he just showed the third result.
Future candidates
In the near future, the documents should be submitted to the CEC by the main contenders for the presidency of Ukraine: Petro Poroshenko, Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky. According to opinion polls, the main struggle for victory in the elections will unfold between these candidates.
Yulia Tymoshenko, after defeats in 2010 and 2014, will try to win in 2019. She is again nominated by the Batkivshchyna party and proposes the New Deal political program to the voters. A solid rating has almost ensured Tymoshenko a place in the second round of elections, the likelihood of which is very high.
One of the most likely competitors of Yulia Vladimirovna may be the actor and producer Vladimir Zelensky. For his nomination, he created the Servant of the People party, named after the series of the same name by his film company Kvartal-95.
The current president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, plans to remain head of state for a second term, although his chances are rather illusory. Over the years, he has lost the favor and trust of voters. Ordinary Ukrainians want to know what another president can offer the country, and the answer to this question will be received after March 31.
