Next Ukrainian parliamentary election
Encyclopedia
On February 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada
(Ukraine's parliament) set the election date for the next Ukrainian parliamentary election for October 28, 2012. The elections will use a mixed voting system (50% under party lists and 50% under simple-majority constituencies) with a 5% election threshold
and the participation of blocs of political parties will not be allowed anymore. The election campaign will be limited to 90 days.
On October 8, 2008 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
tried to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada
(parliament) and called an early parliamentary elections in Ukraine
for the second time in as many years for December 7, 2008. The right of the President to dismiss the parliament was challenged in Ukraine's Constitutional Court
. The President's decree has since lapsed as it was never put into action (the coalition supporting the second Tymoshenko Government
was extended) and appeals to Ukraine's Constitutional Court were withdrawn. Nevertheless a snap election was predicted by Ukrainian politicians during the 2010 presidential election
and after the dismissal of the second Tymoshenko Government.
(where the Verkhovna Rada building
is located) on February 1, 2011. Voting by MP
s in the place of absent MPs of the Verkhovna Rada is prohibited by law.
Changes in the voting system
In June, 2011 the Venice Commission
reviewed a proposed Draft Law on the election of Ukrainian parliamentary members. The proposal sought to re-instate a mixed-member proportional representation system (used in the 1998
and 2002
elections) with the establishment of 255 local single-member districts elected by a first-past-the-post electoral system (highest vote wins); and the remaining 255 parliamentary seats being elected nationwide on a proportional party-list system with a 5% support threshold; and excluding political blocs from all elections. The option "Vote against all" was also made defunct in the proposal. The opposition and Ukrainian analysts accused the Party of Regions
of "rewriting the law so that the president could secure a majority in the next Verkhovna Rada." In October 2011 the Venice Commission recommended Ukraine should not return to a mixed election system. Nevertheless, on 17 November 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law almost identical to the June 2011 proposed Draft Law. This new law satisfied the mayor opposition parties Batkivschyna and Front for Change; but was condemned by the core party of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine. Candidates can be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
₴417 million (about EUR
€60 million or US
$80 million). Ukrainian experts estimate that a small political party who wants to win seats in parliament will spend up to US$30 million on the campaign and large political parties will spend up to $100 million. Political analyst Pavlo Bulhak says that a party's election budget will be spent on advertising on television, bribing
voters, organizing rallies and party propaganda
.
will be elected under party lists and 225 will be winners of 225 constituencies. Simultaneously the option to vote "Against all" has been made defunct; furthermore candidates can now be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
(CVK)
, candidates in this election can be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
In August 2011 the Strong Ukraine
and People's Party
– both elected into parliament in 2007
– announced that both will merge with Party of Regions
. The next month Batkivschyna leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
called for the opposition to run the elections on a single-party ticket.
National Sociological Research Centers
Foreign Sociological Research Centers Fund of Public Opinion (FOM-Ukraine
) Society for Consumer Research (GfK
)
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(Ukraine's parliament) set the election date for the next Ukrainian parliamentary election for October 28, 2012. The elections will use a mixed voting system (50% under party lists and 50% under simple-majority constituencies) with a 5% election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
and the participation of blocs of political parties will not be allowed anymore. The election campaign will be limited to 90 days.
Political crises and canceled 2008 snap elections
On October 8, 2008 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
tried to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(parliament) and called an early parliamentary elections in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
for the second time in as many years for December 7, 2008. The right of the President to dismiss the parliament was challenged in Ukraine's Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of Ukraine
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine interprets the Constitution of Ukraine and decides whether laws and other legal acts are constitutional....
. The President's decree has since lapsed as it was never put into action (the coalition supporting the second Tymoshenko Government
Second Tymoshenko Government
The second Tymoshenko Government was appointed on December 18, 2007 as a coalition between Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc , OU-PSD is the party of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election...
was extended) and appeals to Ukraine's Constitutional Court were withdrawn. Nevertheless a snap election was predicted by Ukrainian politicians during the 2010 presidential election
Ukrainian presidential election, 2010
The Ukrainian presidential election of 2010 is Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010...
and after the dismissal of the second Tymoshenko Government.
2012 election date set
On February 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada set the election date for October 28, 2012. Several deputies whose votes were registered that day have stated they could not have taken part in voting because they were not in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
(where the Verkhovna Rada building
Verkhovna Rada building
The Verkhovna Rada building is located in the center of the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, in the Pechersk Raion. It is the place where the Ukrainian parliament meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions...
is located) on February 1, 2011. Voting by MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s in the place of absent MPs of the Verkhovna Rada is prohibited by law.
Changes in the voting systemVoting systemA voting system or electoral system is a method by which voters make a choice between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum....
In June, 2011 the Venice CommissionVenice Commission
The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe...
reviewed a proposed Draft Law on the election of Ukrainian parliamentary members. The proposal sought to re-instate a mixed-member proportional representation system (used in the 1998
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1998
The second Ukrainian parliamentary election after the collapse of the Soviet Union took place on 29 March 1998. In comparison to the first parliamentary election, this time half of 450 parliament seats were filled by single-seat majority winners in 225 electoral regions , and the other half were...
and 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies...
elections) with the establishment of 255 local single-member districts elected by a first-past-the-post electoral system (highest vote wins); and the remaining 255 parliamentary seats being elected nationwide on a proportional party-list system with a 5% support threshold; and excluding political blocs from all elections. The option "Vote against all" was also made defunct in the proposal. The opposition and Ukrainian analysts accused the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
of "rewriting the law so that the president could secure a majority in the next Verkhovna Rada." In October 2011 the Venice Commission recommended Ukraine should not return to a mixed election system. Nevertheless, on 17 November 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law almost identical to the June 2011 proposed Draft Law. This new law satisfied the mayor opposition parties Batkivschyna and Front for Change; but was condemned by the core party of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine. Candidates can be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
Costs
One of the arguments against holding early elections are the costs. Early elections were estimated to cost approximately UAHUkrainian hryvnia
The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or grivna ; sign: ₴, code: , has been the national currency of Ukraine since September 2, 1996. The hryvnia is subdivided into 100 kopiyok. In medieval times, it was a currency of Kievan Rus'....
₴417 million (about EUR
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
€60 million or US
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$80 million). Ukrainian experts estimate that a small political party who wants to win seats in parliament will spend up to US$30 million on the campaign and large political parties will spend up to $100 million. Political analyst Pavlo Bulhak says that a party's election budget will be spent on advertising on television, bribing
Corruption in Ukraine
Corruption is a widespread and growing problem in Ukrainian society. In 2011's Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index Ukraine slipped to the 152th place of 183 countries and territories assessed. Ukraine has slipped from the 134th place in 2010 and the 118th place in 2007...
voters, organizing rallies and party propaganda
Campaign advertising
'In politics, campaign advertising is the use of an advertising campaign through newspapers, radio commercials, television commercials, etc.) to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the political campaign staff...
.
Public opinion polls
Note that on 17 November 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law under which 225 members of ParliamentPeople's Deputy of Ukraine
People's Deputy of Ukraine is a person elected by a popular vote to the Ukrainian Parliament and is a member of parliament...
will be elected under party lists and 225 will be winners of 225 constituencies. Simultaneously the option to vote "Against all" has been made defunct; furthermore candidates can now be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
| Party: | % 2007 election Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007 Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt... |
FOM-Ukraine FOM-Ukraine The FOM-Ukraine is political sociology company in Ukraine. It is joint venture of FOM company favoring Viktor Yanukovych were the only allowed to be publicized on TV during Ukrainian presidential election in 2004. All others polling was censored.... (May 2009) |
KIIS Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Kyiv International Institute of Sociology is a Ukrainian organization conducting sociological research in the following fields:* social and socioeconomic research* marketing research* political research* health studies... (March 2010) |
Rating Sociological group "RATING" RATING , or fully the Sociological group "RATING" , is a Ukrainian non-governmental polling organization.... (December 2010) |
Rating Sociological group "RATING" RATING , or fully the Sociological group "RATING" , is a Ukrainian non-governmental polling organization.... (September 2011) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PoR Party of Regions The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others... |
34.37 | 24.7 | 36.4 | 30.0 | 21.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYuT | 30.71 | 15.8 | 13.6 | 19.6 | 18.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OU-PSD | 14.15 | <1 | 1.4† | 1.6† | 0.8† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CPU Communist Party of Ukraine The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,... |
5.39 | 4 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 5.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LB | 3.96 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SPU Socialist Party of Ukraine The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned... |
2.86* | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FfC | dnp** | 8.4 | 4.3 | 7.2 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Svoboda | 0.76 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 6.2 | 4.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SU Strong Ukraine Strong Ukraine ; former Labour Party Ukraine , is a political party in Ukraine registered in August 1999. The party claims to have over 80,000 members as of mid-May 2010. It is currently negotiating a merge with the Party of Regions.... |
Part of LB | 7.3 | 6.4 | Part of PoR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UDAR | dnp | 1 | 2.7 | 5.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Against all | 2.73 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 10.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not voting | - | 8.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unsure | - | 10.2 | 13.4 | 8.7 | 11.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * In 2006 political parties or election blocs needed to collect at least 3% of the national vote for all parties in order to gain seats in parliament. In November 2011 this election threshold Election threshold In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament... was raised to 5% and simultaneously the participation of blocs of political parties was banned. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| **"dnp" stands for "did not participate". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Poled as the political party Our Ukraine. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Election time line
After the dissolution of the current parliament the following dates will be set out by the Central Election Commission of UkraineCentral Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ; sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine) is a permanent and independent collegiate body of the Ukrainian government.- Mission and Authority :...
(CVK)
- A deadline for the nomination of candidates for national deputies
- A period for the registration of parties with the Central Election Commission
- The date for the Parliamentary Elections
- The date for the preliminary announcement of election results
- The date for the official final announcement of election results
Registered parties
In contrast with the 2007 parliamentary electionsUkrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
, candidates in this election can be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.
In August 2011 the Strong Ukraine
Strong Ukraine
Strong Ukraine ; former Labour Party Ukraine , is a political party in Ukraine registered in August 1999. The party claims to have over 80,000 members as of mid-May 2010. It is currently negotiating a merge with the Party of Regions....
and People's Party
People's Party (Ukraine)
The People's Party is a political party in Ukraine. It was previously named as the Agrarian Party of Ukraine . The party is led by Volodymyr Lytvyn...
– both elected into parliament in 2007
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
– announced that both will merge with Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
. The next month Batkivschyna leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
called for the opposition to run the elections on a single-party ticket.
External links
- Central Election Commission of Ukraine
- Ukrainian Exit polls
- Recurrent poll, 2010-2011 by Razumkov CentreRazumkov CentreRazumkov Centre , or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov , is a Ukrainian non-governmental public policy think tank....
National Sociological Research Centers
- Center of Sociological Studies "Sofiya" (Sofiya) (website)
- Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) (website)
- Razumkov CentreRazumkov CentreRazumkov Centre , or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov , is a Ukrainian non-governmental public policy think tank....
- Research & Branding GroupResearch & Branding GroupResearch & Branding Group is a Ukrainian non-governmental marketing and sociological research company.Worked with Party of Regions during several latest elections....
(R&B) - Center of Sociological and Political Studies (SOCISSOCISSOCIS is a political sociology company in Ukraine. It was one of the companies that performed rolling and exit polls for Ukrainian elections in 1998, 2002, 2004, and Ukrainian referendum in 2000.. The company has been a member of The Gallup Organization since 1994...
) - Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF) (website)
- National Institute of Strategic Studies (NISS) (webiste)
- Sociological group "RATING"Sociological group "RATING"RATING , or fully the Sociological group "RATING" , is a Ukrainian non-governmental polling organization....
(Rating)
Foreign Sociological Research Centers Fund of Public Opinion (FOM-Ukraine
FOM-Ukraine
The FOM-Ukraine is political sociology company in Ukraine. It is joint venture of FOM company favoring Viktor Yanukovych were the only allowed to be publicized on TV during Ukrainian presidential election in 2004. All others polling was censored....
) Society for Consumer Research (GfK
GfK
The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health...
)