Publications Archive
Ukraine’s Presidential Election: A Primer December 18, 2009
On January 17, 2010, Ukrainian voters will go to the polls to choose their next president. Nobody knows who the winner will be — and that reflects very well on Ukraine's democratic development. Most observers expect that next month's election, while not flawless, will continue a trend in Ukraine of "free and fair" elections. Those seeking the presidency actually have to go out and drum up support for their candidacies — they have to earn voters' support. That doesn't happen everywhere in the region. The two leading candidates are former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and current Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, but neither is expected to win in the first round, forcing a runoff scheduled for February 7.
This is the first in a GMF series, Focus on Ukraine. The set of briefs will discuss Ukraine before, during, and after the 2010 presidential election.



