Press ReleasePreliminary Results of the Elections of the President of UkraineNovember 1, 1999On Sunday, 31 October, 1999, 32,825 polls throughout Ukraine and 92 at Ukrainian missions abroad opened their doors for over 37 million citizens of Ukraine eligible to take part in presidential elections. Voters were to make their choice and elect their third president since the country's independence. According to the Central Electoral commission's preliminary report, released today Leonid Kuchma, the incumbent President of Ukraine, has taken the lead. The Head of the Commission disclosed at a press conference on Monday 1 November that 90 per cent of ballots have been processed by now. Information has been obtained from over 29,000 constituencies, which makes up 88,72 per cent of Ukraine's territory. Leonid Kuchma has won 8,512,039 in favour, or 36,39 per cent, of the votes leaving behind the Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko, who has obtained 5,269,040 votes, or 22,52 per cent. The third in the race is Oleksandr Moroz with 2,635,869 votes (11,22 per cent), followed by Natalia Vitrenko (2,577,948 or 10,97 percent) and Yevhen Marchuk (1,885,405 or 8,02 per cent of votes). The presidential elections in Ukraine are enjoying increased interest internationally. The Central Electoral Commission has registered 507 official foreign observers representing 37 different countries and 23 international organisations, with the largest representation (216 observers) sent by the OSCE's Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The elections in Ukraine are also monitored by observers from the International Society for Human Rights, the International Foundation of Electoral Systems, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, central electoral commissions from the Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, and other countries. For more information, please contact: |
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