Ukrainian presidential election, 1994

The Ukrainian presidential election, 1994 was held on June 26, 1994 and July 10, 1994. The presidential election was ahead of schedule, following a political compromise between the President and Parliament (parliamentary elections were held later in the year). This election was the second election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union.

The first round of the election took place on June 26, 1994 and the second round was on July 10, 1994. As a result, the acting President Leonid Kravchuk lost the presidency to his former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma. There was 70.37% voters turnout at the first round which rose a little bit for the second one to 71.63%.

Notably, following the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, it was the first presidential election among the Commonwealth of Independent States (formed by Post-Soviet states) where the incumbent head of state with roots based in the Soviet-time nomenklatura lost his leadership post and peacefully stepped aside in the aftermath of the democratically held nationwide election; however, the contest between Kravchuk and Kuchma was still largely a feud within the ruling nomenklatura.

Summary of 1994 Ukraine presidential election results

References

• Center on Democratic Performance
• The Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post-Communist Europe