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Ukrainian presidential elections determine who will serve as the President of Ukraine for the next five years.[1]
Since the establishment of the position of the President of Ukraine in 1991, presidential elections have taken place seven times: in 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2014 and 2019. The next election would have been scheduled for 2024; however, it was not held because of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine ongoing since 24 February 2022 and the resulting imposition of martial law in Ukraine, under which elections legally cannot be held.[2][3][4][5]
The presidential election rules are defined by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Electoral Code of Ukraine.[6]
Eligibility requirements
A candidate for the President's office must:
- be a citizen of Ukraine;
- be at least 35 years of age on the election day;
- have the right to vote;
- speak the official language (Ukrainian);
- have lived in Ukraine for the last ten years prior to election day.[1][7]
The same person cannot be elected President more than twice in a row.[1]
Nomination process
A candidate can be nominated by a political party or be self-nominated.[8]
Campaigning
A presidential candidate may start his or her election campaign the next day after he or she is registered by the Central Election Commission.[9]
The presidential election campaign ends at 24:00 of the last Friday before the election day.[9]
Popular vote
Regular presidential elections are held on the last Sunday of March[10] (formerly in October) of the fifth and last year of the incumbent President's term of office. If a president's term in office ends prematurely, the election of a new president must take place within ninety days of the president's office falling vacant.[11][12]
The president is elected by direct popular vote in a two-round majoritarian contest.[13] If no candidate receives a simple majority (over 50%) of votes in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a run-off,[14] which is called for the third Sunday after the first round;[15] the candidate who receives more votes in the run-off is then elected president.[16]
If one of the two remaining candidates drops out at least 12 days before the run-off, the next-best candidate from the first round will advance into the second round instead.[17] If there is only one candidate left in the second round (e.g. if a candidate withdraws less than 12 days before the second round, or if there are no other candidates who can replace a candidate who has withdrawn),[18] the remaining candidate must win over 50% of the second-round vote to be elected president, or the election will be declared void.[19]
Voters must be Ukrainian citizens and at least 18 years old on the election day.[20]
There are no requirements for a minimum voter turnout.[21]
Until the 2010 election, Ukrainian voters had the option to vote "against all candidates"; however, this option was removed[22] in 2011 after changes to electoral legislation.[23]
Where available, this table shows percentages as reported by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine; these may differ from percentages calculated based on the valid vote only.
| First round | Second round | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | No. of other candidates | Winner | Runner-up | Notes |
4 |
- |
- |
Kravchuk won absolute majority in first round; no second round needed | |||
5 |
||||||
11 |
As of 2024[update], the only successful re-election bid by an incumbent President of Ukraine | |||||
22 |
After election fraud leading to Orange Revolution, second round invalidated by Supreme Court of Ukraine and re-run; table shows re-run results | |||||
16 |
||||||
19 |
- |
- |
Election originally scheduled for 2015, but brought forward after Revolution of Dignity; Poroshenko succeeded acting President Oleksandr Turchynov. Poroshenko won absolute majority in first round; no second round needed | |||
37 |
Largest-ever margin as of 2024[update] | |||||
The highest voter turnout–84 percent–was recorded during the first election in December 1991.[35]
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