(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Viktor Yanukovych is the frontrunner in the race for Ukraine’s presidency, according to a poll by the Ukrainian Forum and The Sociology Institute. 27.8 per cent of respondents would vote for the leader of the Party of Regions (PR) in the next election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Viktor Yanukovych is the frontrunner in the race for Ukraine’s presidency, according to a poll by the Ukrainian Forum and The Sociology Institute. 27.8 per cent of respondents would vote for the leader of the Party of Regions (PR) in the next election.
Current prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko is second with 22.5 per cent, followed by Communist Party (KPU) first secretary Petro Symonenko with five per cent, incumbent president Viktor Yushchenko with 4.7 per cent, and current lawmaker Volodymyr Lytvyn with 3.8 per cent.
A series of public demonstrations took place in Kiev after the November 2004 presidential run-off. The Ukrainian Supreme Court eventually invalidated the results of the second round, and ordered a special re-vote. Opposition candidate Yushchenko—whose supporters wore orange-coloured clothing at events and rallies—received 51.99 per cent of all cast ballots, defeating Yanukovych.
In 2006, Yanukovych’s PR secured 186 seats in the Supreme Council. Yanukovych eventually became prime minister in a coalition government with the Socialist Party (SPU) and the KPU. After a long political stalemate and disagreements between the president and prime minister, a new legislative ballot took place in September 2007.
Final election results released in October gave the "orange forces"—including the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Yushchenko’s People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU)—228 seats, while Yanukovych and his Communist allies took control of 202 seats. In December, Tymoshenko was ratified as prime minister, with the support of 225 lawmakers.
On Sept. 3, Ukraine’s governing coalition split in great part due to disagreements over the Georgia-Russia conflict. In the days following the incursion, Yushchenko asked the government to fiercely condemn Russia’s actions in Georgia, but Tymoshenko refused to take a strong stance against Russia. Yushchenko left the coalition as a result.
On Sept. 4, Yanukovych suggested he could accept an invitation to work with Tymoshenko—his former rival—saying, "I have great experience of working with people at various levels. So, I see no obstacles at all. (…) I worked with Viktor Yushchenko. I was the prime minister, while he was the president. (…) When we are talking about the interests of the state, I have only one position: It’s to protect the interests of the country."
The next presidential election in Ukraine is expected to take place in January 2010.
Polling Data
Who would you vote for in the next presidential election?
|
Viktor Yanukovych |
27.8% |
|
Yulia Tymoshenko |
22.5% |
|
Petro Symonenko |
5.0% |
|
Viktor Yushchenko |
4.7% |
|
Volodymyr Lytvyn |
3.8% |
Source: Ukrainian Forum / The Sociology Institute
Methodology: Interviews with 1,800 Ukrainian adults, conducted from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.
