News -> Ukrainian presidential election, 2014 2014-04-25
In May 2013, Batkivshchyna, UDAR, and Svoboda vowed to coordinate their actions during the presidential campaign, and they promised "to support the candidate from among these parties who wins a place in the run-off election”. In case the election format changes to a single round, the three parties have vowed to agree on a single candidate.
On 24 October 2013, the leader of UDAR, Vitali Klitschko, announced he intended to take part in the election. Experts and lawyers have argued that it is unclear if Klitschko can take part. Under Ukrainian law a presidential candidate must have had his residence in Ukraine for the past ten years prior to election day. Klitschko has lived for many years in both Ukraine andGermany, where, according to media reports, he has a residence permit. Klitschko confirmed on 28 February 2014 that he will take part in the 2014 Ukrainian presidential election. However, on 29 March, he withdrew from the race for the presidency, simultaneously pledging his support for Petro Poroshenko.
On 7 December 2012, Batkivshchyna nominated Yulia Tymoshenko as its presidential candidate. On 14 June 2013, the congress of her party approved the decision to nominate her as its candidate in the presidential election. On 11 October 2011, a Ukrainian court found Tymoshenko guilty of abuse of power and sentenced her to seven years in jail and banned her from seeking elected office for her period of imprisonment. Because Tymoshenko was in prison during the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Arseniy Yatsenyuk headed the election list of Batkivshchyna. Tymoshenko remained in prison until 22 February 2014, after parliament voted for her release and removal of her criminal record, allowing her to compete for elected office once again.
Former President Viktor Yanukovych, prior to his dismissal and subsequent flight from the country, was considered likely to run for his second and final term. But, as of 19 December 2013, he had made no final decision on this. On 19 December 2013, Yanukovych alluded to not participating when he stated "If, theoretically speaking, my rating is low and has no prospects, I won't hinder the country's development and movement ahead". In his press conference in Rostov-on-Don on 28 February Yanukovych stated that he would not take part in the elections since he did "believe they are unlawful, and I will not take part in them".Later it is speculated that Serhiy Tihipko will run for president for the Party of Regions.
On 22 February 2014, the Verkhovna Rada voted 328-0to dismiss President Viktor Yanukovych during the Euromaidan protests, as a result of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.Oleksandr Turchynov, deputy chairman of the Batkivshchyna party, was appointed the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada earlier that day, and was named as acting Prime Minister and, with Yanukovych's ouster, acting President until new elections could be held.
Mykhailo Dobkin is amongst the persons the new government wants to send for trial at the International Criminal Court.
On April 15 2014 Ukrainian media reported that the General Prosecutor of Ukraine had launched criminal proceedings against Oleh Tsarov for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.[28]
