At stake in this election:

• The office of the President of Ukraine

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Acting President Oleksandr TURCHYNOV[1]
• Head of Government: Interim Prime Minister Arseniy YATSENYUK[2]
• Assembly: Ukraine has a unicameral Supreme Council (Verkhovna Rada) with 450 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by an absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.

Election Notes:

• This presidential election was originally scheduled to take place on 26 February 2015. However, on 21 February 2014, amid violent street protests, President YANUKOVYCH signed a deal with the political opposition that included holding the presidential election by the end of the year. After President YANUKOVYCH was impeached by parliament the next day and an interim government installed, the parliament voted to hold this election on 25 May. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a second round runoff election will be held on 15 June.
• From 7-14 April 2014, the Central Election Commission (CEC) passed several amendments to the electoral law aimed at improving the transparency and fairness of the process. For example, there are clearer stipulations of permitted pre-election “agitation” activities, new requirements for media outlets to ensure more balanced coverage of the election (including a televised debate and stricter advertisement laws), and provisions for greater transparency of candidate information and opinion polling data. Several technical and logistical provisions were also passed.

Main candidates in this presidential race:[3]

• Olga BOGOMOLETS[4]
  • Party: Independent
• Yuriy BOYKO[5]
  • Party: Independent
• Andriy GRINENKO
  • Party: Independent
• Anatoliy HRYTSENKO
  • Party: Civil Position / Політична партія „Громадянська позиція”
• Mykhailo DOBKIN[6]
  • Party: Party of Regions / Партія регіонів
• Oleksandr KLYMENKO
  • Party: Ukrainian People’s Party / Українська Народна Партія
• Valeriy KONOVALYUK
  • Party: Independent
• Renat KUZMIN
  • Party: Independent
• Vasyl KUYBIDA
  • Party: People’s Movement of Ukraine / Народний Рух України
• Oleg LYASHKO
  • Party: Radical Party of Oleg Lyashko / Радикальна Партія Олега Ляшка
• Mykola MALOMUZH
  • Party: Independent
• Petro POROSHENKO
  • Party: Independent[7]
• Vadim RABINOVICH
  • Party: Independent
• Volodymyr SARANOV
  • Party: Independent
• Petro SYMONENKO
  • Party: Communist Party of Ukriane / Комуністична партія України
• Yulia TYMOSHENKO
  • Party: All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland” / Всеукраїнське об'єднання "Батьківщина"
• Sergiy TIHIPKO[8]
  • Party: Party of Regions / Партія регіонів
• Oleh TYAHNYBOK
  • Party: All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda” / Всеукраїнське об’єднання «Свобода»
• Vasyl TSUSHKO
  • Party: Independent
• Zoran SHKIRIAK
  • Party: Independent
• Dmytro YAROSH
  • Party: Right Sector / Правий сектор

Population and Voter Registration:[9]

• Population: 44,291,413 (July 2014 est.)
• Registered Voters: 35,500,913 (April 2014)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 24,364,935 (2014)

·         Is Ukraine a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Ukraine ratified CEDAW: Yes (12 March 1981)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 42 (following the 2012 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 81 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Ukraine a signatory to CRPD: Yes (24 September 2008)

·         Has Ukraine ratified CRPD: Yes (4 February 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 6,643,711 (est.)