Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission has ended registration of candidates, presidential campaign officially started

Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission building
(Image: Radio Svoboda)

The official term for applying for the presidential elections to be held on 25 May 2014 in Ukraine was closed on 30 March 2014, giving the potential candidates the time to submit their applications, all required documents and caution money in amount of 2,5 million UAH as well. Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission has reviewed all the submitted applications and approved the final list of the candidates on Thursday, 3 April.

Thus, CEC has registered 23 candidates to run for the presidential seat on 25 May. All of these candidates have undergone procedure of registration during the meeting of the CEC.

Here is the list of all the registered candidates for the presidential elections in Ukraine:

1. Anatoly Grytsenko – leader of the Party Civil Position, former member of Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Homeland) Party.
2. Andriy Grynenko – and individual candidate, businessman.
3. Vadim Rabinovich – prominent businessman, President of Ukrainian Congress of Jews.
4. Valeriy Konovalyuk – Director of the Company Center of the Anti-Crisis programs.
5. Vasyliy Kuybida – leader of the People’s Movement of Ukraine.
6. Vasyliy Tsushko – individual candidate, former head of Ukrainian anti-monopoly committee.
7. Volodymyr Saranov – Director of the Company Interagroexport.
8. Dmytro Yarosh – leader of the Right Sector, Ukrainian ultra-right organization played a prominent role during the Euromaidan uprising.
9. Zoryan Shkiryak –individual candidate, former MP of Kyiv City Council.
10. Mykhaylo Dobkin – former governor of Kharkiv governorate, candidate from pro-Yanukovich Party of Regions, known for his separatist ideas and organization of massive separatist rallies in Eastern Ukraine.
11. Mykola Malomuzh – individual candidate, former Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
12. Natalia Korolevska – individual candidate, former Minister of Social Policies in the resigned Cabinet of Ministers of Mykola Azarov, served under Victor Yanukovich.
13.  Oleksandr Klymenko – Head of Ukrainian People’s Party.
14. Oleg Lyashko – leader of the Radical Party, individual MP in the Parliament.
15. Oleg Tyagnybok – leader of Svoboda (Freedom) Party (Ukrainian Nationalist Party), one of the former oppositional leaders during the Euromaidan protests).
16. Oleg Tsarev – individual and independent candidate, MP of Party of Regions.
17. Olga Bogomolets – prominent Ukrainian doctor and activist of Euromaidan, presented on the ground since the first days.
18. Petro Poroshenko – individual candidate, individual MP in Ukrainian Parliament, supported by Vitaliy Klichko and his political party.
19. Petro Symonenko – leaded of Ukrainian Communist Party.
20. Renat Kuzmin – former first Deputy of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
21. Sergiy Tygipko – MP from the Party of Regions.
22. Yulia Tymoshenko – leader of Batkivshchyna (Homeland) Party, ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine, recently released from her imprisonment.
23. Yuriy Boyko – former Vice-Prime Minister in the previous Azarov’s government.

It’s worth mentioning that Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission has received a total amount of 46 requests and applications for participation in the presidential elections, but half of them were declined due to the procedural irregularities and inadequacy.

Prominent Ukrainian politician and former boxer Vitaliy Klichko, who enjoyed high popularity and high ratings in society, has officially left presidential campaign declaring his willingness to support the single democratic presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko and stated that he will run for the position of Kyiv governor.