Nomination of candidates ends in Ukraine
KIEV. November 6. KAZINFORM Nomination of presidential candidates ends in Ukraine on Friday. Up till November 9 the Central Election Commission receives for registration documents from potential contenders, while the final term of registration expires on November 13, after which the commission must publish in newspapers within five days the complete list of candidates, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
The election is slated for January 17, 2010.
The Central Election Commission has registered 14 candidates and denied registration to four candidates. The registered candidates include lawyer Oleg Ryabokon, former Defence Minister Anatoly Gritsenko, former parliament speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk, Communist Party leader Pyotr Simonenko, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Vladimir Litvin, banker Sergei Tigipko, parliamentarian Irina Bogoslovskaya, Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovich, President Viktor Yushchenko, Freedom Party leader Oleg Tyagnibok, People's Party leader Yuri Kostenko, and Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko.
Timoshenko and opposition Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovich are considered presidential hopefuls.
Yanukovich said his principal goal at the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine would be a victory in the first round.
Public opinion polls indicate that the Party of Regions' candidate has good chances to win. A survey conducted on October 2-12 by Ukraine's most authoritative sociological services Research & Branding Group shows that over 30 percent of 3,119 respondents polled in 24 Ukrainian regions and the Crimea will vote for Yanukovich, compared to slightly more than 18 percent who are ready to support Timoshenko.
Yushchenko is an outsider with only 3 percent of supporters. However he is confident he will win the election, Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.