Voters in Ukraine headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, overhauling a legislature tainted by its association with ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. While around 36 million people have been registered to vote, the election will not be held in areas controlled by pro-Russian separatist rebels in the east.
President Petro Poroshenko’s party is expected to get the largest share of the vote, but it is not yet certain whether the party will be able to form a government without any aid.
Other parties expected to win seats in parliament include Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Popular Front and the Fatherland party of Yulia Tymoshenko.
Another strong contender is firebrand nationalist Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party, which has commanded much public attention through lavish campaign spending.
The political forces with the best prospects in the vote all broadly share a pro-Western posture and have stated their ambition to promote the thorough reforms needed to reverse Ukraine’s cataclysmic economic decline.
Ukraine’s woes have been compounded in recent months by a conflict against armed separatists on the border with Russia that has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.
President Petro Poroshenko’s party is expected to get the largest share of the vote, but it is not yet certain whether the party will be able to form a government without any aid.
Other parties expected to win seats in parliament include Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Popular Front and the Fatherland party of Yulia Tymoshenko.
Another strong contender is firebrand nationalist Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party, which has commanded much public attention through lavish campaign spending.
The political forces with the best prospects in the vote all broadly share a pro-Western posture and have stated their ambition to promote the thorough reforms needed to reverse Ukraine’s cataclysmic economic decline.
Ukraine’s woes have been compounded in recent months by a conflict against armed separatists on the border with Russia that has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.