26 June 1994
10 July 1994 1999 → 52.3% 45.2% | 14,016,850 12,111,603 Start date June 26, 1994 | |
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Winner Leonid Kuchma | ||
Early presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 26 June 1994, with a second round on 10 July. They were held ahead of schedule following a compromise between the President and Verkhovna Rada. Incumbent President Leonid Kravchuk lost the presidency to his former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma.
Contents
Strikes and revival of communists
On June 7, 1993 started a time-unrestricted strike of coal miners of Donets basin as part of a chronic economical crisis. Coincidentally all the events appeared at the time of resurrection of the Communist Party of Ukraine. On this wave of strikes a Constituent Congress of the Communist Party of Ukraine took place on June 19, 1993 in Donetsk (same region) and later it was registered in October of the same year. Its banning was temporary due to suspicion in support of the August coup-d'etat. However the Constitutional Court of Ukraine recognized that the Communist Party of Ukraine that was registered on July 22, 1991 had nothing to do with the August events in the Soviet Union and was never a successor of the Communist Party of Soviet Union and the Communist Party of Ukraine in the Communist Party of Soviet Union. However the statute of the Communist Party of Ukraine clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover on December 27, 2001 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine recognized the ban of Communist Party not constitutional.
Decision on early elections
On June 17, 1993 the parliament decided to conduct on September 26, 1993 a consultative referendum on no confidence in president and parliament. However on September 24 the referendum was canceled. The Verkhovna Rada decided to conduct an early elections to parliament on March 27, 1994 and president on June 26, 1994.
The presidential elections became the first to demonstrate the division of the country on the "East" and "West".
Other
They were also the first presidential election in the Commonwealth of Independent States where the incumbent head of state, with roots based in the Soviet-time government elite, lost a democratic election and stepped aside.