Ukrainian presidential elections determine who will serve as the President of Ukraine for the next five years.[1]
Since the establishment of the position of the President of Ukraine in 1991, presidential elections have taken place seven times: in 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2014 and 2019. The next election would have been scheduled for 2024; however, it was not held because of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine ongoing since 24 February 2022 and the resulting imposition of martial law in Ukraine, under which elections legally cannot be held.[2] [3] [4] [5]
The presidential election rules are defined by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Electoral Code of Ukraine.[6]
A candidate for the President's office must:
The same person cannot be elected President more than twice in a row.[1]
A candidate can be nominated by a political party or be self-nominated.[8]
A presidential candidate may start his or her election campaign the next day after he or she is registered by the Central Election Commission.[9]
The presidential election campaign ends at 24:00 of the last Friday before the election day.[10] (formerly in October) of the fifth and last year of the incumbent President's term of office. If a president's term in office ends prematurely, the election of a new president must take place within ninety days of the president's office falling vacant.[12] [13]
The president is elected by direct popular vote in a two-round majoritarian contest.[14] If no candidate receives a simple majority (over 50%) of votes in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a run-off,[15] which is called for the third Sunday after the first round;[16] the candidate who receives more votes in the run-off is then elected president.[17]
If one of the two remaining candidates drops out at least 12 days before the run-off, the next-best candidate from the first round will advance into the second round instead.[18] If there is only one candidate left in the second round (e.g. if a candidate withdraws less than 12 days before the second round, or if there are no other candidates who can replace a candidate who has withdrawn),[19] the remaining candidate must win over 50% of the second-round vote to be elected president, or the election will be declared void.[20]
Voters must be Ukrainian citizens and at least 18 years old on the election day.[21]
There are no requirements for a minimum voter turnout.[22]
Until the 2010 election, Ukrainian voters had the option to vote "against all candidates"; however, this option was removed[23] in 2011 after changes to electoral legislation.[24]
Where available, this table shows percentages as reported by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine; these may differ from percentages calculated based on the valid vote only.
| Second round | |||||||
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | style=max-width:5.5em | No. of other candidates | Winner | Runner-up | Notes |
| Kravchuk won absolute majority in first round; no second round needed | |||||||
| , the only successful re-election bid by an incumbent President of Ukraine | |||||||
| After election fraud leading to Orange Revolution, second round invalidated by Supreme Court of Ukraine and re-run; table shows re-run results | |||||||
| Election originally scheduled for 2015, but brought forward after Revolution of Dignity; Poroshenko succeeded acting President Oleksandr Turchynov. Poroshenko won absolute majority in first round; no second round needed | |||||||
| Largest-ever margin |
The highest voter turnout–84 percent–was recorded during the first election in December 1991.[25]
Regular presidential elections are held on the last Sunday of March[10]