Ukrainian presidential election, 1994
Encyclopedia
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
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
and Parliament
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(parliamentary elections were held later in the year). This election was the second election to take place in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
following independence from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
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
Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
lost the presidency to his former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
. 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
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in December 1991, it was the first presidential election among the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
(formed by Post-Soviet states
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
) where the incumbent head of state with roots based in the Soviet-time nomenklatura
Nomenklatura
The nomenklatura were a category of people within the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries who held various key administrative positions in all spheres of those countries' activity: government, industry, agriculture, education, etc., whose positions were granted only with approval by the...
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
| Candidates — Nominating parties | Votes (1st round) | % | Votes (2nd round) | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a... - Independent |
9,977,766 | 38.36 | 12,111,603 | 45.06 |
| Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... - Independent |
8,107,626 | 31.17 | 14,016,850 | 52.15 |
| Oleksandr Moroz Oleksandr Moroz Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Moroz is a Ukrainian statesman and politician. He was the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine twice: July 2006 to September 2007, and previously in 1994 through 1998. Moroz is one of the founders and leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, which was an influential... - Socialist Party of Ukraine Socialist Party of Ukraine The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned... |
3,466,541 | 13.33 | ||
| Volodymyr Lanoviy - Independent | 2,483,986 | 9.55 | ||
| Valeriy Babych - Independent | 644,263 | 2.48 | ||
| Ivan Plyushch Ivan Plyushch Ivan Stepanovych Plyushch is a Ukrainian politician. He thrice served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada , from July 9, through July 23, 1990 , from December 5, 1991 through May 11, 1994 and from February 1, 2000 through May 14, 2002.-Biography:Ivan Plyushch was born on September 11, 1941 in... - Independent |
321,886 | 1.24 | ||
| Petro Talanchuk - Independent | 143,361 | 0.55 | ||
| Against all | 892,740 | 3.43 | 551,380 | 2.80 |
| Total | 26,010,173 | 100 | 26,784,552 | 100 |