Presidential elections are under way in Ukraine on Sunday, March 31.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 and will work until 20:00 inclusively.
A record high number of presidential candidates, 44, were registered by the Central Election Commission (CEC). Five of them – Andriy Sadovyi (candidate from the Samopomich Party); Yevhen Murayev (candidate from the Nashi (Ours) Party); Dmytro Dobrodomov (candidate from the Narodny Kontrol (People's Control) movement); Serhiy Kryvonos (candidate from the ATO Warriors Party); and Dmytro Gnap (the People's Power Party) withdrew before the deadline for leaving the presidential race.
Thus, 39 candidates are on the printed ballot papers, but later Serhiy Taruta (the Osnova Party) and Oleksandr Moroz (candidate from the Socialist Party of Oleksandr Moroz) announced their withdrawal, and now Ukrainians will choose their president from among the following candidates:
• Ihor Shevchenko (self-nominee);
• Serhiy Kaplin (candidate for the Social Democratic Party);
• Valentyn Nalyvaichenko (candidate from the party Valentyn Nalyvaichenko's Spravedlyvist (Justice) social and political movement);
• Vitaliy Skotsyk (self-nominee);
• Anatoliy Hrytsenko (candidate from the Hromadianska Pozytsia (Civil Position) Party;
• Vitaliy Kupriy (self-nominee);
• Hennadiy Balashov (candidate from the 5.10 Party);
• Olha Bogomolets (self-nominee);
• Oleksandr Shevchenko (candidate from the UKROP Party);
• Roman Nasirov (self-nominee);
• Yuri Boyko (self-nominee);
• Oleh Liashko (candidate from the Radical Party);
• Arkadiy Kornatsky (self-nominee);
•Oleksandr Vilkul (candidate from the Opposition Block – the Party of Peace and Development);
• Yulia Tymoshenko (candidate from the Batkivshchyna Party);
• Illia Kyva (candidate from the Socialist Party of Ukraine);
• Ruslan Koshulynsky (candidate from the Svoboda Party);
• Oleksandr Danyliuk (self-nominee);
• Volodymyr Zelensky (candidate from the People's Servant Party);
• Inna Bohoslovska (self-nominee);
• Ihor Smeshko (self-nominee);
• Mykola Haber (self-nominee);
• Yuriy Derevyanko (candidate from the Volia (Will) Party);
• Roman Bezsmertnyi (self-nominee);
• Viktor Bondar (candidate from the Vidrodzhennia Party);
• Serhiy Nosenko (self-nominee);
• Ruslan Ryhovanov (self-nominee);
• Viktor Kryvenko (candidate from the People's Rukh Party);
• Andriy Novak (candidate from the Patriot Party);
• Vasyl Zhuravlyov (candidate from the Stability Party);
• Yuriy Tymoshenko (self-nominee);
• Petro Poroshenko (self-nominee);
• Yuri Karmazin (self-nominee);
• Julia Lytvynenko (self-nominee);
• Oleksandr Vashchenko (self-nominee);
• Volodymyr Petrov (self-nominee);
• Oleksandr Solovyov (the Rozumna Syla (Reasonable Force) Party).
A total of 199 constituencies have been created in Ukraine. The approximate number of polling stations, according to the CEC website, is 29,888. Some 101 polling stations are abroad.
On December 31, 2018, five polling stations in Russia were closed pursuant to a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The CEC registered 2,344 observers from foreign and international organizations in the presidential elections. More than 135,000 law enforcement officers are involved in ensuring public order in Ukraine on election day.
The presidential election campaign in Ukraine officially began on December 31, 2018.
According to the calendar plan for the presidential election, the CEC should establish the results of the voting by April 10.
If none of the candidates receives over 50% of the vote on March 31, a run-off vote will be held on April 21 for the two front runners in the first round.
In the event of the run-off, the CEC should officially announce the election results by May 1, 2019, and the inauguration of the newly elected president should take place by May 31.
The new president should take office no later than 30 days after the announcement of the official election results.
