Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 28 October 2012.Parliament mulls Feb. 3 vote to amend Constitution, Kyiv Post (31 January 2011)Parliament sets parliamentary elections for October 2012, presidential elections for March 2015, Kyiv Post (February 1, 2011)Ukraine sets parliamentary vote for October 2012, Kyiv Post (1 February 2011)Early parliamentary elections may take place in May - Ukraine's Yanukovych, RIA Novosti (25 January 2010) Because of various reasons, including the "impossibility of announcing election results" various by-elections have taken place since. Hence, several constituencies have been left unrepresented at various times.
Unlike the two previous elections, this election used a parallel voting system, with half the seats elected by party-list proportional representation using a 5% election threshold and the other half by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies, with alliances no longer allowed.Parliament passes law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (17 November 2011) The parallel voting system was used previously in 1998 and 2002.Ukrainian communists to seek return to proportional electoral system, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2012)
The election campaign was limited to 90 days. Every citizen of Ukraine 18 years of age or older Перший крок до зриву виборів, Ukrainska Pravda (9 April 2012) was able to vote in 33,540 polling stations in Ukraine and 116 foreign polling stations in 77 countries.After counting all ballots at 116 foreign polling stations "Svoboda" wins in parliamentary elections in Ukraine , National Radio Company of Ukraine (29 October 2012)No violations reported at Ukraine's overseas polling stations, ITAR-TASS (28 October 2012)Central Election Commission forms 33,540 polling stations in Ukraine and 114 abroad, Kyiv Post (12 April 2012)
The Party of Regions won the largest number of seats while Fatherland (with several parties together as an "umbrella" party) came second. The election was also noted for the rise of the far-right party Svoboda, which came in fourth. The new (on the national scene) party UDAR also enjoyed noticeable great success with its third place in the election. The far-left Communist Party of Ukraine almost tripled its numbers of voters but because of the mixed election system used in the election it only won five more seats compared with the previous election. Because of this mixed system three small parties and 43 unaffiliated politicians also made it into parliament.
The new parliament was appointed and started its tasks on 12 December 2012 – six weeks after the elections.Parliament of sixth convocation ends its work, Kyiv Post (6 December 2012)You Scratch My Back, and I'll Scratch Yours, The Ukrainian Week (26 September 2012) This was the last national Ukrainian election Crimea participated in before the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014.
Background
Political crises and cancelled 2008 snap elections
On 8 October 2008 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko tried to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and called early parliamentary elections in Ukraine for the second time in as many yearsUkraine president sets parliament election for Dec 7 Reuters for 7 December 2008. The right of the President to dismiss the parliament was challenged in Ukraine's Constitutional Court. The President's decree has since lapsed as it was never put into action (the coalition supporting the second Tymoshenko Government was extended) and appeals to Ukraine's Constitutional Court were withdrawn. Nevertheless, a snap election was predicted by Ukrainian politicians during the 2010 presidential election and after the dismissal of the second Tymoshenko Government.Yuschenko vows to dissolve parliament if his draft of constitution not passed, Interfax-Ukraine (23 November 2009)Update: Ukraine court rules Yanukovych coalition legal, Kyiv Post (8 April 2010)Opposition leader promises new parliamentary election in March, if elected, Kyiv Post (9 December 2009)Yanukovych won't nominate Tymoshenko for prime minister if elected president, Kyiv Post (9 December 2009)Tymoshenko: Early parliamentary elections may follow presidential ballot in Ukraine, Kyiv Post (26 November 2009)Yuschenko says parliament should be dissolved and premier dismissed, Kyiv Post (23 December 2009)Yanukovych to call vote if coalition ruled illegal, Kyiv Post (1 March 2010)Election to Rada to take place in March 2011 if 2004 political reform canceled, Kyiv Post (8 July 2010)Update: Return to 1996 Constitution strengthens president, raises legal questions, Kyiv Post (1 October 2010)Election official: Parliamentary poll should be held in March 2011, Kyiv Post (13 October 2010)Election Commission fails to decide on start of parliamentary election campaign (VIDEO), Kyiv Post (22 November 2010)Deputies agree to extend term in office, Kyiv Post (19 November 2010)Update: Court extends parliament term by a year, Kyiv Post (22 November 2010) One of the arguments against holding early elections were the costs. Early elections were (in October 2008) estimated to cost approximately ₴417 million (about EUR€60 million or US$80 million).
2012 election date set On 1 February 2011 the Verkhovna Rada set the election date for 28 October 2012. Several deputies whose votes were registered that day have stated they could not have taken part in voting because they were not in Kyiv (where the Verkhovna Rada building is located) on 1 February 2011.Tymoshenko faction deputy denies voting to extend parliament term, Kyiv Post (2 February 2011) Voting by MPs in the place of absent MPs of the Verkhovna Rada is prohibited by law. Янукович отримав контрольний пакет у парламенті, Ukrainska Pravda (2 February 2011) On 27 July 2012 the Central Election Commission of Ukraine announced that campaigning for the elections would commence on July 30.
Electoral system
In June 2011 the Venice Commission reviewed a proposed Draft Law on the election of Ukrainian parliamentary members.Draft Law on the election of members of Parliament of Ukraine , Venice Commission (28 June 2011) The proposal sought to re-instate a parallel voting system – used in the 1998 and 2002 electionsAgainst All Odds: Aiding Political Parties in Georgia and Ukraine (UvA Proefschriften) by Max Bader, Vossiuspers UvA, 2010, (page 93) – with the establishment of 225 local single-member districts elected (in one round)The Distorted Will of the People, The Ukrainian Week (5 November 2012) by a first-past-the-post electoral system (candidate with the highest vote total wins); and the remaining 225 parliamentary seats being elected nationwide on a proportional party-list system with a 5% support threshold; and excluding political blocs from all elections.People First: The latest in the watch on Ukrainian democracy, Kyiv Post (24 June 2011) The option "Vote against all" was also made defunct in the proposalExperts: Proposed election law casts cloud over next year's parliamentary contest, Kyiv Post (3 October 2011) (according to a November 2012 opinion poll by Research & Branding Group (otherwise) 17% of the voters would have voted "against everybody" during the elections).Poll:17% of Ukrainians would vote 'against everybody' during elections, Kyiv Post (29 November 2012) The opposition and Ukrainian analysts accused the Party of Regions of "rewriting the law so that the president could secure a majority in the next Verkhovna Rada."Opposition pushes for immediate meeting with Yanukovych, Kyiv Post (22 September 2011) In October 2011 the Venice Commission recommended Ukraine should not return to a mixed election system.Venice Commission advises Ukraine against returning to mixed electoral system, Interfax-Ukraine (4 October 2011) Nevertheless, on 17 November 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law almost identical to the June 2011 proposed Draft Law. ВР ухвалила закон про вибори народних депутатів , Interfax Ukraine (17 November 2011) This new law satisfied the major opposition parties Batkivschyna and Front for Change; but was condemned by the core party of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine.Front for Change leader: New law to allow opposition win 2012 parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (18 November 2011)Tymoshenko's bloc faction satisfied with adopted election law, Kyiv Post (18 November 2011)Our Ukraine condemns vote for law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (18 November 2011) Candidates could be elected on party lists or through self-nomination. On 8 December 2011 President Viktor Yanukovych signed the new election law.Yanukovych signs law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (8 December 2011) Since then several parties merged with other parties. "Наша Україна" й УНП почали об’єднання з Дніпропетровська, Ukrainska Pravda (18 December 2011)Tymoshenko, Lutsenko aware of their parties' unification, Kyiv Post (29 December 2011) Одна з партій НУНС перейменувалася та змінила голову, Ukrainska Pravda (3 December 2011)
The possibility to be simultaneously be nominated on a nationwide party list and in a single mandate constituency also was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on 10 April 2012.Court bans simultaneous running for parliament in single-member districts and under party lists, Kyiv Post (10 April 2012)CEC head suggests ban on running for Rada independently and on party lists simultaneously, Kyiv Post (28 January 2012)
Voters could temporarily change their place of voting without changing their permanent voting address.
Registered parties In contrast with the 2007 parliamentary elections, candidates in this election could be elected on party lists or through self-nomination. There were 87 parties registered for the elections to compete in electoral districts. For the nationwide list the voters could choose between 22 parties. Several parties united together under "umbrella" parties. For example, the election list of All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" included members of Reforms and Order Party, People's Movement of Ukraine, Front of Changes, For Ukraine, People's Self-Defense, Civil Position and Social Christian Party.Opposition to form single list to participate in parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (2 March 2012) "ФРОНТ ЗМІН" ІДЕ В РАДУ З "БАТЬКІВЩИНОЮ", Ukrainska Pravda (7 April 2012)Yatseniuk wants to meet with Tymoshenko to discuss reunion of opposition, Kyiv Post (7 April 2012) Tymoshenko and Yatsenyuk united ("Тимошенко та Яценюк об'єдналися"), Ukrainska Pravda (23 April 2012)Civil Position party joins Ukraine's united opposition, Kyiv Post (20 June 2012) This electoral list was the result of negotiations within the opposition Dictatorship Resistance Committee. Комітет опору диктатурі спробує поділити округи, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (21 November 2011) Комітет опору диктатурі зробив паузу, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (21 November 2011)Ukrainian opposition parties agree to form single list for 2012 elections, Kyiv Post (23 January 2012)
Nationwide list The Central Election Commission of Ukraine had registered 22 parties who would participate on the nationwide list. On 15 October 2012 Ukrainian Platform "Assembly" withdrew itself from the national list Українська платформа "Собор" знімається з виборів на користь опозиційних сил, Krayina (13 October 2012)Хто і чому змушує кандидатів зніматись з виборів? – розслідування ТВі , TVi (15 October 2012) (it had received ballot number 1) but the other ballot numbers did not change. So the ballot numbers were: Відомості щодо реєстрації виборчих списків кандидатів у депутати Information on the registration of electoral lists of candidates , Central Election Commission of Ukraine
No party Socialist Party of Ukraine Communist Party of Ukraine Political Union "Native Fatherland" Russian Bloc Party of Nataliya Korolevska "Ukraine – Forward!" All-Ukrainian Union "Community" Ukrainian National Assembly Liberal Party of Ukraine New Politics