Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Party of Regions Leads All in Ukraine

September 15, 2007
Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Prime minister Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions (PR) is the most popular political organization on the eve of a legislative ballot in Ukraine, according to a poll by the All-Ukrainian Sociological Service. 29 per cent of respondents would vote for the PR in this month’s election.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Prime minister Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions (PR) is the most popular political organization on the eve of a legislative ballot in Ukraine, according to a poll by the All-Ukrainian Sociological Service. 29 per cent of respondents would vote for the PR in this month’s election.

The opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc is second with 22.6 per cent, followed by the coalition of president Viktor Yushchenko’s People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU) and the People’s Self-Defence Bloc with 15.2 per cent. Support is lower for the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU), the Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc, and the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU).

Ukrainian voters renewed the Supreme Council in March 2006. The PR won 186 seats in the legislative branch, followed by the Tymoshenko Bloc with 129, the NS-NU with 81, the SPU with 33, and the KPU with 21 mandates. Parties require at least three per cent of the vote to qualify for proportional representation seats in the Supreme Council.

In July, the "anti-crisis" coalition—which includes Yanukovych’s PR, Oleksandr Moroz’s SPU and the KPU—was formally announced. In August, Yanukovych was confirmed as prime minister, while Yushchenko remained as president.

On Apr. 2, Yushchenko dissolved the Supreme Council and called an early ballot. On May 27, Yushchenko and Yanukovych agreed to hold the election on Sept. 30.

On Sept. 13, Tymoshenko accused the government of "drug dealing" while referring the country’s rates of drug addiction. The opposition leader declared: "Top leaders of power structures are the shield for the government, which is engaged in drug dealing. (...) By eliminating this power, we close practically all ‘drug traffics’ that go through the country. They are not eliminated now only because they are under government and power structures’ protection."

Polling Data

Which of these parties would you vote for in the legislative election?

Party of Regions (PR)

29.0%

Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc

22.6%

People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU) / People’s Self-Defence Bloc

15.2%

Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU)

5.9%

Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc

5.6%

Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU)

3.0%

Source: All-Ukrainian Sociological Service
Methodology: Interviews with 2,479 Ukrainian adults, conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 12, 2007. Margin of error is 2 per cent.