Number of candidates for presidency of Ukraine grows to record high

Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered two more candidates for the presidential elections scheduled for March 31.

The CEC at its meeting on Feb. 1 decided to register self-nominated candidate, leader of the Patriotic Party of Ukraine Mykola Haber and independent lawmaker Yuriy Derevyanko, nominated by the Volya party, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported.

Thus, as of Feb. 1, there were 28 registered candidates for the March 31 presidential elections, which is a record high number of registered candidates for the presidency of Ukraine.

Leader of the Civil Position Party Anatoliy Hrytsenko, Yuriy Boiko from the Opposition Platform – For Life, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy, leader of the Nashi (Ours) Party Yevhen Murayev, Oleksandr Shevchenko from the UKROP Party and leader of the Social and Spravedlyvist (Justice) Political movement Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, parliamentarian and leader of the Osnova Party Serhiy Taruta became presidential candidates.

Hennadiy Balashov from the 5.10 Party, Serhiy Kaplin from the Social Democratic Party, MPs Olha Bohomolets and Vitaliy Kupriy, ex-head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Roman Nasirov, self-nominee Vitaliy Skotsyk and former Ecology Minister of Ukraine Ihor Shevchenko were also registered as presidential candidates.

In addition, Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivschyna Party; Oleh Liashko, the leader of the Radical Party; Oleksandr Vilkul, the candidate from the Opposition Bloc – the Party of Peace and Development; Dmytro Dobrodomov, an independent MP from the People’s Control Party; Arkadiy Kornatsky, a self-nominated MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Party also officially joined the presidential race.

The CEC also registered ex-speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Moroz, leader of the Socialist Party Illia Kyva, member of the Svoboda Party Ruslan Koshulynsky, as well as member of the Spilna Sprava Civil Movement Party and head of NGO Center for Defense Reforms Oleksandr Danyliuk, who was nominated as an independent candidate.

In addition, showman Volodymyr Zelensky, former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ihor Smeshko and parliamentarian of the 3rd, 6th and 7th convocations Inna Bohoslovska were registered as well.

Meanwhile, the documents for the registration as presidential candidates were filed by leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine Petro Symonenko, self-nominee Roman Bezsmertny, candidate from the Party of Defenders of Ukraine Taras Kostanchuk, candidate from the Vidrodzhennya (Revival) Party Viktor Bondar, independent lawmakers Viktor Kryvenko.