Pocket guidebook elections in ukraine ukr crisimediacentre-052014

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Pocket Guidebook to Early Presidential Elections in Ukraine
POCKET
GUIDEBOOK
to EARLY
PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS
in UKRAINE
May 22, 2014

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SOME KEY DATES IN HISTORY OF
MODERN UKRAINE
24.08.1991–UkrainebecameIndependentbytheActofDeclaration
of Independence of Ukraine that was adopted by the Ukrainian
Parliament.
01.12.1991–AreferendumontheActofDeclarationofIndependence.
Morethan90%ofthepopulationvotedinfavorofIndependence,
more than 50 % in all administrative-territorial units of Ukraine voted
«for». After the first presidential election Leonid Kravchuk became
the President (candidate from the east of Ukraine).
1994 – Ukraine joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons. Ukraine had third largest nuclear arsenal in the world.
Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed, and
Russia, the USA as well as Great Britain became guarantors of the
territorial integrity, political independence of Ukraine.
Summer 1994 – Early presidential elections, Leonid Kuchma
became the president (candidate from the east of Ukraine).

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Summer 1995 – Adoption of the Constitutional Treaty that
established presidential republic.
28.06.1996–AdoptionofthenewConstitutionofUkrainewhich,
similarly to the French Constitution, established presidential-
parliamentary form of Government.
02.09.1996 – Ukrainian hryvnia became the national currency
of Ukraine. In the medieval times, hryvnia was the name of the
currency of the Kyivan Rus.
Fall of 1999 – Leonid Kuchma was re-elected for a second term
in the Presidental elections using Russian technology by wining
as pro-government candidate against a Communist.
16.04.2000 – All-Ukrainian referendum on strengthening the
powers of the president. Despite the majority support the
change has not been implemented.
Fall of 2000 – «Cassette scandal». Disappearance of the
opposition journalist Georgiy Gongadze and publication of

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the leaked recording of the conversation in the presidential
office that indicated the corruption and crimes among
political autorities.
December 2000 to the end of 2002 – Political campaign
«Ukraine without Kuchma», President Leonid Kuchma has lost
public support. Former governor of the Donetsk region Viktor
Yanukovych became the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
May 2004 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, Ukrainian singer
Ruslana won the contest with “Wild Dances”.
21.11.2004 – January 2005 – «Orange Revolution». Kyiv became
the center of mass protests of supporters of the opposition
candidate, Victor Yushchenko against the falsified results of
the presidential elections alleged winner Viktor Yanukovych.
December 2004 – Verkhovna Rada voted to adopt
constitutional reforms and laws to ensure the return of the
second round of presidential elections in Ukraine.
January 2005 – Viktor Yushchenko (candidate from the west
of Ukraine) was elected the President of Ukraine.
Fall 2005 – Crisis of the «Orange Team». Resignation of the
Government of the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Signing
of the memorandum between the Government and the
opposition which enabled Viktor Yanukovych to return to
Ukraine’s political arena.
01.01.2006 – After Constitutional reform Ukraine became a
parliamentary-presidential republic.
Spring 2007 – Constitutional crisis caused by the unconstitutional
formation of the parliamentary coalition . President Yushchenko
dissolved the parliament.

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30.09.2007 – Fall 2009 – Early parliamentary elections, Parliamentary
crisis, reformatting of the ruling coalition followed by the
economic crisis in Ukraine.
January 2010 – Presidential elections.
25.02.2010 – Viktor Yanukovych (candidate from the East of
Ukraine) became the President of Ukraine. For the first time
since Ukraine’s independence in 1991.
21.04.2010 – Signing of the «Kharkiv Accords» – the treaty
between Ukraine and Russia which stipulated the 25-year
extension of lease of naval facilities in Crimea by the Black
Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
25.09.2010 – Municipal elections that were not recognized by
the EU and the U.S. as free and fair. The ruling Party of Regions
was reported to have extended its influence over the country.
30.09.2010 – Constitutional Court of Ukraine illegally canceled
Constitutional reform of 2004. Ukraine became presidential-
parliamentary republic.
November – December 2010 – Kyiv became the center of mass
protests [later called «Tax Maidan»] of private entrepreneurs
against the new Tax Code.
Summer 2012 – Ukraine together with Poland hosted the 2012
UEFA European Football Championship «Euro 2012».
July 2012 – Adoption of the law on languages, where Russian
language received “a special status”. Consequently, the law
triggered public protests in Ukraine.
28.09.2012 –Parliamentaryelections.TherulingPartyofRegions
managed to maintain its parliamentary majority.

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November 21st – 30th, 2013 – Ukrainian Government decided
to suspend Ukraine’s European integration. President
Yanyukovych didn’t sign the Association Agreement on
European Integration at Vilnius Summit. The beginning of
Euromaidan mass protests.
November 30th – December 1st, 2013 – Hundreds of protesters
were brutally beaten by the riot police Berkut. The protesters
set up a tent camp on the Kyiv central square Maidan
Nezalezhnosti [Independence Square – Eng.].
January16th,2014–TheParliamnentadoptedunconstitutional
laws which led to escalation of the confrontation between
now millions of protesters and police across the country.
18 – 20th February 2014 – Mass deaths of protesters and police
officers on Maidan in Kyiv.
February 22th, 2014 – President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych
fled from his office, Parliament voted for his deposition.
February 27th, 2014 – The Ukrainian Parliament appointed the
current Government, led by the interim Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk.
March18th,2014–RussianannexationoftheCrimeanpeninsula.
April 2014 – The beginning of the armed attacks by the terrorists
in Donbas area of Ukraine.
May 25th, 2014 – Early presidential elections.

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LATEST PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS
IN UKRAINE
The vast majority of Ukrainians don’t support Russian
intervention in Ukraine and think Ukraine should remain a
united, unitary state with strong ties to the EU. These were the
results of a recent (April 2014) survey conducted in Ukraine
by the public opinion and market research company Baltic
Surveys/TheGallupOrganizationonbehalfoftheInternational
RepublicanInstitute(IRI).DespiteRussia’sclaimstothecontrary,
almost two-thirds of Russian-speaking citizens and eastern
Ukrainians don’t want Russian “protection”. More than half of
Russian speakers strongly approve the interim Government.
According to IRI polling, there is a striking difference between
the Russian propaganda and the true opinions of Ukrainians.

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Russian-speaking Ukrainians don’t need protection
The overwhelming majority of respondents – 85 % of the
national population – remain opposed to Moscow’s sending
troops to «protect» Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine. About
92 % of Ukrainian-speaking citizens responded that they were
against Russia’s decision to send military units to Ukraine.
Moreover, a large majority of respondents in eastern Ukraine –
69 %, and 68 % of Russian-speaking citizens – remain opposed
toRussia’sintervention.Only7%ofeasternUkrainiansanswered
“definitely yes” for a need to protect Russian speakers and
ethnic Russians while 73 % don’t think that the Russian army
should protect them.
Majority of Ukrainians believe in unitary state
On the issue of national unity, two-thirds of Ukrainians think
that Ukraine should remain a united, unitary state. Eastern
Ukraine’s population does have a view slightly different than
the rest of the country – 35 % want to live in a federal state and
40 % support a unitary Ukraine.
Ukrainians favor EU rather than Customs Union
Interestingly, while 54 % of all Ukrainians have a desire to join
the EU, only 27 % of eastern Ukrainians want stronger ties with
the EU. However, 57 % of all Ukrainians and 29 % of eastern
Ukrainians are opposed to Ukraine joining the Customs Union
with Russia. This demonstrates the generally pro-European
orientation of Ukrainian citizens.
Ukrainian support the current interim Government
Despite the fact that Ukrainians remain very critical of politicians,
more than half (52 %) approve of the job of the Interim Cabinet
of Ministers of Ukraine and 53 % have a favorable opinion of
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Such support is really high
in comparison to European states, where the proportion
of Europeans who tend not to trust national governments is
about 72 %, according to the European Commission report.

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Interestingly, no more than 15 % of the population of southern
European countries, including Portugal, Spain, Greece, and
Italy, support their national Governments.
ThedatawascollectedthroughoutUkraineonApril3rd–12th,2014
through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ residences.
The sample consisted of 1,200 permanent residents of Ukraine
aged 18 and older who are eligible to vote.

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TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
UKRAINE’S INTERIM GOVERNMENT
AFTER 3 MONTHS IN OFFICE
The signing of Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, removal
of EU tariffs on imports of Ukrainian goods, streamlining of the
licensingprocessintheagriculturalsector–thesewerejustsome
notable accomplishments of Ukraine’s interim Government
since February 27th, 2014. Other achievements included
the reduction of taxes on medicine, the establishment of the
National Guard, reform of the judicial sector, strengthening of
anti-corruption policy, introduction of new decentralization
policy, and negotiation of energy reform.

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Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU
Remarkably, on March 21st, 2014 Ukraine and the European
Union signed an Association Agreement which had been in
the works for the past three years but had not been finalized
by the Yanukovych administration. In addition, Ukraine and
the European Union have agreed to remove all tariffs applied
on Ukrainian goods which are exported to Europe. This
measure creates a better environment for the turnaround of
goods and is expected to result in an extra economic benefit
of about EUR 500 million, as reported Ukraine’s interim Prime
Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Financial aid negotiations
Ukraine’s interim Government has conducted financial aid
negotiations with the US, Japan, the European Union, the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The IMF has
approved a USD 17.1 billion loan to help stabilize the country’s
economy.
New economic policy
TheneweconomicpolicyoftheinterimUkrainianGovernment
has been focused on reducing government spending,
lowering the number of public servants, decreasing the
size of the state carport and lowering additional payments
to governmental officials. Within the past 80 days the state
budget has received more than UAH 16 billion in taxes, which
is approximately UAH 203.4 million more than during the same
period last year.
Improvements in business sector
To address the business and agricultural sectors Ukraine’s
Parliament adopted the law «On amendments to several
legislative acts of Ukraine to reduce the number of permit
documents». This policy aims to simplify the licensing process
and establishes transparent and fair rules for business operations,
andaimstoimprovetheinvestmentclimateinagriculturalsector.

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Improvements in human rights sector
Reforms in human rights protection and the judicial sector
are emphasized in the new law “On restoring trust in the
court system of Ukraine”. This law introduces the means and
mechanisms for enabling lustration of judges in Ukraine. The
Government of Ukraine has unanimously voted in favor of
establishing a Special Commission within the Ministry of Justice
of Ukraine which would conduct monitoring missions to ensure
that human rights of all prisoners and detained persons are
ensured in all respective institutions.
Liberalization of visa regime with the EU
The Ukrainian Parliament has also adopted laws for starting
the process of eliminating the need to receive EU visas for
Ukrainian citizens. Those include laws on “Anti-corruption policy
strengthening”, “Public procurement”, amendments to the
Customs and Tax Codes on tax reduction for medicine (from
20 % to 7 %), as well as laws on the EU visa liberalization system.
Improvements in social protection and education sectors
The social security and education systems have been upgraded
with a new social protection program for refugees and a new
law on “Higher Education”. The new law provides universities with
moreautonomyandmoreadvancedmechanismsforpreventing
corruption. A gradual cancellation of subsidies, which has a great
impact on Ukrainian budget, has been one of the IMF’s conditions
for providing the next tranche of loans and for improving the gas
market sector. Therefore Ukraine’s newly-introduced energy reform
is designed to gradually increase gas tariffs for the households.
Diversification of energy resources
Additionally, Ukraine, Slovakiya, Hungary and Poland have
agreed on simplifying the reverse supply of natural gas.
Ukraine is also involved in ongoing negotiations with the U.S.,
the EU and other countries on how to improve its energy
efficiency. The Government presented a new concept of

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decentralization of the regions and local authorities in the bill
«On the cooperation of local communities» and agreed with
the EU about cooperation at all stages of local government
reform and the introduction of the effective regional policy.
Military reform
The situation in Crimea and eastern Ukraine forced the
Ukrainian Government to start reforming the military sector. In
light of the military threat initiated by the Russian Federation at
Ukraine’s eastern border, Ukraine’s Government has decided
to reform its military sector, increase its budget, open donation
accounts and establish a National Guard.

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?
EARLY PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE
MAY 25th, 2014
FAQ
Why is the presidential election taking place now?
InNovember2013,inresponsetoadecisionoftheGovernment
led by President Viktor Yanukovych not to proceed with an
Association Agreement with the European Union, Ukrainians
went to the streets to protest. The public dissatisfaction instantly
developed into a general rejection of the corruption and
lackluster performance of the Yanukovych Government.
In February 2014, the standoff between the protesters and
the authorities escalated into violent clashes in which more
than 100 people lost their lives. President Yanukovych fled the
countryandanewGovernmentcametopower.Amongthefirst
acts of the new Government was to schedule early presidential
elections for May 25th. In addition to the presidential election,
a number of local council and mayoral elections, as well as a
parliamentary by-election are to be held on May 25th.
What is the role of the President in Ukraine?
Under Ukraine’s Constitution, the President is the Head of State
and guarantor of State sovereignty and territorial indivisibility of
Ukraine. However, day-to-day executive power is in the hands
of the Government, which is led by a Prime Minister appointed
by the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian Parliament – Eng]. The
President represents the nation in international relations,
conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties,
and is also Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army. The
President also nominates the Defense and Foreign Affairs
Ministers. In order to secure a balance between State bodies,
the President has veto power after Parliament passes any law.
Ukraine has had four Presidents since 1991. Ukrainian Presidents
are limited to two consecutive terms, but there is no limit on

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the number of nonconsecutive terms. The term of office of a
President is five years.
Who will observe the presidential elections?
Ukrainian law allows for observation of elections by both
domestic civil society organizations and international
organizations. Ukrainian Civil Network OPORA together with
Ukrainian Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) will also be
carrying out a nationwide election observation effort.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/
ODIHR) will lead an international observation mission. OSCE/
ODIHR has already deployed a core team of experts and
about 100 long-term observers and expects to deploy another
900 short-term observers right before the elections, making this
one of the largest observation missions of its kind.
In addition to the OSCE/ODIHR mission, a number of other
international groups will be sending election observation
missions,includingtheEuropeanNetworkofElectionMonitoring
Organizations (ENEMO), and Canadian Election Observation
Mission (CANEOM).
A full list of Ukrainian and international observers can be found
on the CEC website: http://www.cvk.gov.ua/
WhattypeofelectoralsystemwillbeusedintheMay25thelection?
ThePresidentiselecteddirectlybyeligiblevotersthroughatwo-round
majoritarian system, with no minimum voter turnout requirements.
The election is conducted in one electoral district comprised of the
entire territory of Ukraine and voters abroad. A candidate
must receive a majority of the vote in order to be elected.
If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round
of voting on May 25th, a second round will be held on June 15th
between the two candidates who received the most votes.
What is the legal framework for elections in Ukraine?
The legal framework for elections in Ukraine consists of

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Constitution of Ukraine, the Law on Election of the President of
Ukraine adopted in March 5th, 1999 (as amended), the Law
on the Central Election Commission and the Law on the State
Voter Register, all of which have been recently amended.
Who is eligible to vote?
The constitution provides for universal, equal, direct suffrage
by secret ballot to all legally competent individuals 18 years
of age or older. The Law on Presidential Elections states that
voting for President is a voluntary right, and no influence can
be exerted upon citizens to have them participate or not
participate in the election. It also stipulates that Ukrainian
citizens, living outside of the country, maintain their right to
vote and all other electoral rights granted to citizens.
Who can be a candidate?
Anyone 35 years of age or older who has permanently resided
within Ukraine for the 10 years preceding the election can seek
election for President.
Exceptions to this, outlined in the constitution, include persons
who have served as President of Ukraine for the two previous
terms and persons “recognized by court as legally unfit, as well
as citizens kept in places of confinement by a court sentence.”
The Law on Election of the President of Ukraine further prohibits
individualswhoarecitizensofanothercountryfrombeingregistered
as candidates.Personsholdingapublicofficearepermittedtorun
forPresidentandarenotrequiredtoresigntheiroffice,buttheyare
prohibited from using their position to campaign.
Candidates can be nominated by political parties that
are entitled to take part in election, or can self-nominate.
According to current law, a candidate must submit a
comprehensive set of registration documents and forms,
together with a document certifying that he or she has paid
the deposit amount of UAH 2.5 million (about USD 208,000).

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What are the rules governing the media?
The election campaign in the media can be held in the form
of public debate and discussion, round table discussions,
press conferences, interviews, speeches, political advertising,
TV ads, videos and other publications and reports on the
candidate for President of Ukraine, the party that nominated
candidates, and other forms that do not contradict the laws
and Constitution of Ukraine.
Candidates are eligible to receive free television, radio and
print media campaign advertising from State-funded media
outlets. Candidates and political parties receive 30 minutes of
campaign advertisements from every State-funded television
and radio station (this time should be divided into two equal
parts). State-funded newspapers – «Golos Ukrainy» and
«Uryadoviy Kuryer» – are required to print free election platforms
of the candidates for President of Ukraine in a special edition.
Private and State broadcasters can organize candidate
debates before the first round; State broadcast media are
obliged to organize a debate between the two candidates
contesting a possible second round.
What are the rules for campaign finance?
The Presidential Election Law requires each candidate to
maintain two designated campaign bank accounts: an
electionfundsaccountandanelectionexpendituresaccount.
All contributions to the campaign must be deposited into the
electoral fund account and all expenditures must be made by
bank transfer from the expense account. There are no limits to
campaign spending.
A presidential campaign can be financed from;
- The candidates’ private funds (unlimited);
- Individual donations from physical persons (not more than
400 minimum salaries – some UAH 490,000 – under USD 41,000);
- Funds from the party that nominated the candidate
(unlimited).

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Donations from foreign citizens, anonymous sources and legal
entities are forbidden. Candidates file financial disclosure
forms in the prescribed form with the Central Election
Commission no later than 15 days after Election Day.
LIST OF THE REGISTERED
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR
the MAY 25th ELECTION
TheCentralElectionCommission(CEC)registered23candidates:
• Olha Bogomolets, self-nominated;
• Yuriy Boyko, self-nominated;
• Mykhailo Dobkin, self-nominated (supported by the Party of
Regions);
• Andriy Hrynenko, self-nominated;

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• Anatoliy Hrytsenko, nominated by the Civil Position Party;
• Oleksandr Klymenko, nominated by the Ukrainian People’s
Party;
• Valeriy Konovalyuk, self-nominated;
• Nataliya Korolevska, self-nominated;
• Vasyl Kuybida, nominated by the People’s Movement of
Ukraine;
• Renat Kuzmin, self-nominated;
• Oleh Lyashko, nominated by the Radical Party of Oleg
Lyashko;
• Mykola Malomuzh, self-nominated;
•PetroPoroshenko,self-nominated(supportedbytheUkrainian
Democratic Alliance for Reforms – UDAR);
• Vadym Rabinovych, self-nominated;
• Volodymyr Saranov, self-nominated;
• Zoryan Shkiryak, self-nominated;
• Petro Symonenko, nominated by the Communist Party of
Ukraine;
• Serhiy Tihipko, self-nominated;
• Oleh Tsaryov, self-nominated;
• Vasil Tsushko, self-nominated;
• Oleh Tyahnybok, nominated by the All-Ukrainian Union
Svoboda;
• Yulia Tymoshenko, nominated by Batkivshchyna;
• Dmytro Yarosh, self-nominated (supported by the Right
Sector Party).
OnMay2th,2014,theCECadoptedresolutions,whichcancelled
the registration of presidential candidates Nataliya Korolevska
and Oleh Tsaryov, based on their written applications to
withdraw from the race. After May 2nd, further withdrawals
are not allowed. Therefore, it is expected that a total of 21
candidates will compete in the forthcoming elections.
Presidential Candidates:

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According to TSN Poll made by GFK Ukraine the 5 top
candidates are:
Petro Poroshenko (Self-nominated)
Petro Poroshenko, born September 26th 1965, is a Ukrainian
businessman and politician, who announced on March 29th
that he will run for President of Ukraine. Poroshenko was a
former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade and
Economic Development. He is sometimes cited as one of the
most influential people in Ukrainian politics.
http://www.poroshenko.com.ua/
Contact information:
Press center: +38 (066) 663 54 54
http://programaporoshenka.com/
Yulia Tymoshenko (nominated by Batkivshchyna)
Yulia Tymoshenko, born November 27th 1960, is a Ukrainian
politician and businesswoman. She co-led the Orange
Revolution and was the first female Prime Minister of Ukraine,
serving from January 24th to September 8th, 2005, and again
from December 18th, 2007, to March 4th, 2010.
http://www2.tymoshenko.ua/
Press center: + 38 (067) 323 60 39
Serhiy Tihipko (Self-nominated)
SerhiyTihipko,bornFebruary13th,1960,isaUkrainianpoliticianand
finance specialist who has been Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Tihipko was a Minister of Economy in 2000 and subsequently
served as Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine from 2002
to 2004. Tihipko was also former Minister of Social Policy.
http://tigipko.com/
Press center: +38 (044) 238 38 48, + 38 (044) 481 48 63, +38
(067) 243 49 75
Oleh Lyashko (nominated by the Radical Party)

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Oleh Lyashko, born March 12th 1972, is a Ukrainian politician,
member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; journalist,
and the leader of the Radical Party. In 1998 he graduated
from the Faculty of Law at H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National
Pedagogical University.
http://liashko.ua/
Press center: +38 (097) 522 27 58, +38 (093) 722 69 67
http://rpl.kiev.ua/
Anatoliy Hrytsenko (nominated by the Civil Position Party)
Anatoliy Hrytsenko, born October 25th 1957, is a Ukrainian
politician, independent member of the current Ukrainian
parliament, former Minister of Defense, member of Our Ukraine
political party and leader of the Civil Position Party. On June
23th, 1979, he graduated with honors from Kyiv Higher Military
Aviation Engineering School. On October 30th, 1995, he
graduated from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
http://2014.grytsenko.com.ua/
Press center: +38 (044) 383 38 72, +38 (067) 891 91 26
Сеntral Election Commission
1, Lesia Ukrainka Sq., 01196, Kyiv, Ukraine
tel.+38 (044) 286-84-62
e-mail: post@cvk.gov.ua
http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd_2012_en/
SHORT VOCABULARY:

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WHAT’S IN A WORD
When you hear these words in Ukraine – know what they mean:
Nationalists – positive, democratically oriented, very patriotic
people who want their country to succeed in all fields.
Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens – Ukrainians, who use
Russian language in their daily lives.
Separatists and Terrorists – pro-Russian collaborators who are
paid to perform actions to divide Ukraine.
Eastern Ukraine – eastern regions of the country – usually
includes Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk – which border on the
Russian Federation and currently are under attack by the pro-
Russian collaborators and terrorists.

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Tityshki – unidentified mob and hooligans, often considered
to be mercenary agents who are paid to perform illegal acts
of street beatings, carjacking and kidnappings, etc.
«Zeleny Cholovichky» – Green Men – Russians Special Forces
(Spetsnaz) dressed in camouflage green without any
identification who seize control of some administrative building
in the eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Banderivtsi–termusedbyRussianpropagandiststogetherwith
such terms as “Junta” and “fascists” to describe participants
in the Ukrainian pro-European Euromaidan protest movement
and the interim Ukrainian Government. The actual Banderivtsi
from the 1940s were not fascists, but members of the Ukrainian
Nationalist Movement of the WWII, which opposed the Soviet
Union and were fighting for Ukraine’s Independence. Soviet
and Russian propaganda has always described Banderivtsi
as fascists, and now the Russian government uses this term to
discredit the interim Ukrainian Government.
PravyiSector–“RightSector”–acivicmovementandpoliticalparty
with right-wing oriented nationalistic Ukrainian ideology, which
emerged in November 2013 as an alternative movement to the
Ukrainian opposition, demanding changes and the resignation of
the Yanukovych Government. Right Sector is often considered the
mostradicalorganizationinUkraine,butithaszerorepresentativesin
Ukraine’sparliamentandhasneverbeenimplicatedinanycrimes
on the grounds of ethnic, religious, and/or racial discrimination.
Revolution of Dignity – the Euromaidan Revolution, which was
aimedatchanginglifeinUkraine,fightingcorruption,demanded
Europeanintegration,andcalledfortheresignation ofPresident
Yanukovych and his Government.
Maidan – the square in central Kyiv where several Ukrainian
revolutions, including Euromaidan, took place.

24
Antymaidan – opposed to Euromaidan, a pro-Russian
and pro-Yanyukovych group of protesters who organized
demonstrations in Ukraine.
AutoMaidan – apartofEuromaidanprotestactivistswhosought
the resignation of the former Ukrainian President Yanukovych
and his Government. It was made up of drivers/activists who
often protested in front of the estates of Yanykovych and his
supporters in the Government. The Audomaidan activists
took an active part in Euromaidan and blocked the streets
to impede the movement/actions of hostile riot police Berkut
against peaceful protesters.
Marionette – Russian-installed proxies.
Self-proclaimed leaders – illegitimate leaders.
Berkut – the former special force riot police unit which was
proven to have been participated in killing more than 100
protestersduringEuromaidandemonstrations.Afterthedramatic
Euromaidan events that drove ex-President Viktor Yanukovych
from the office, Ukraine’s interim Government eliminated Berkut.
CurrentlyBerkutispartoftheCrimeanpolice,andisincorporated
into the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The National Guard of Ukraine – a military force with law
enforcement functions which is a part of the Armed Forces
of Ukraine under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior. It
was formed by Euromaidan self-defense activists in March
2014. It emerged as an urgent response to the Russian military
intervention in Crimea and in the east of Ukraine. The goal of
the National Guard of Ukraine is to protect the life, safety, rights,
freedoms, and interests of Ukrainian citizens. It also serves to
protect the Ukrainian society and state, ensure public security,
protect state borders, and deter terrorist activities.

25
Resources used:
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Elections in
Ukraine May 25th Early Presidential Election. FAQ section;
• IRI Survey by the Baltic Surveys/The Gallup Organization
(April 2014);
• Law “On Election of the President of Ukraine,” March 5th,
1999 (with amendments from February 28th, March 13th, April
8th and May 6th, 2014);
• Law “On the Central Election Commission,” June 30th, 2004;
• Law “On the State Voter Register,” February 22th, 2007;
• CEC website on Presidential Elections in Ukraine.
Information was assembled by the Ukraine Crisis Media
Center, located in the hotel Ukraina (4 Instytutska Street), 3rd
floor. Hotline+38 050 157 8159, +38 050 157 8423, fax +38 044 593
7407, e-mail: press@uacrisis.org. For more information please
visit uacrisis.org, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
Additional Information:
Ukraine Crisis Media Center was created through the joint
effort of leading Ukrainian experts in the field of international
relations, communications and public relations, which have
agreed to provide their time and experience for free in order
to help Ukraine getting a strong voice in the global dialogue
about the latest happenings. The Center is not funded by any
political party and remains a solely public initiative.

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Pocket guidebook elections in ukraine ukr crisimediacentre-052014