Party of Regions Close to 30% in Ukraine

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The Party of Regions (PR) holds a double-digit lead in Ukraine, according to a poll by the Razumkov Center. 29.9% of respondents would support the political organization headed by former prime minister Viktor Yanukovych in next month’s election to the Supreme Council.

The People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU) coalition of current president Viktor Yushchenko is second with 19.6%, followed by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc—which includes the Batkivshchina (Fatherland) Party of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko—with 13.7%. Support is lower for the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU), the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU), the Popular Bloc My (We) of speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, the Nataliya Vitrenko "People’s Opposition", the Oppositional bloc "Not Yes!" and the Civil Coalition Pora-PRP, Angus Reid Consultants informed.

Ukrainian voters are set to renew their legislative branch on Mar. 26. In the 2002 ballot, Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine (NU) bloc received 23.6% of the vote and elected 112 members to the 450-seat legislative branch. Parties require at least three per cent of the vote to qualify for proportional representation seats in the Supreme Council.

Yushchenko won the December 2004 presidential election, with 51.99% of the vote in an unprecedented third round against Yanukovych. Last September, Yushchenko sacked his entire cabinet, substituting Tymoshenko with Dnipropetrovsk governor Yuri Yekhanurov.

In late January, the NS-NU attacked Yanukovych by claiming it possessed documents showing that the former prime minister served time in prison in 1969 and 1970 for robbery and assault. Ukrainian regulations do not allow a former convict to run as a candidate in an election. An investigation determined that the papers were faked.

This week, prior to a scheduled speech by Yushchenko in which he was expected to call on lawmakers to end their infighting and bickering, a fistfight broke out in parliament. KPU members were trying to put up banners that criticized Yushchenko, when the president’s party members attempted to stop them.

"Enough with arguing over who has more power," Yushchenko eventually said in his address, after the fracas was pacified. "There is enough work for everybody."

Polling Data

Which party would you vote for in the next parliamentary election (January and February of 2006 in comparison)

Party of Regions (PR)	29.9%	24.7%
People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU)	19.6%	15.4%
Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc	13.7%	12.0%
Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU)	6.8%	4.6%
Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU)	6.7%	4.6%
Popular Bloc My (We)	3.3%	3.0%
Nataliya Vitrenko "People’s Opposition"	2.0%	2.5%
Oppositional bloc "Ne TAK! (Not Yes)"	1.5%	0.6%
Civil Coalition Pora-PRP	1.1%	1.2%