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Ukraine

Europe · ua

Semi-presidential republic; the president is elected by direct popular vote in a two-round system, and the Verkhovna Rada is elected by proportional representation with open regional lists.

Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026

Ukraine has the clearest modern precedent for overturning a stolen election: in 2004 the Supreme Court annulled a presidential run-off after finding systematic falsification and ordered a re-vote. Independence in 1991 restored competitive elections, and a 2019 electoral code moved parliament to open-list proportional representation. National elections have been suspended since 2022, because the constitution does not permit them to be held while martial law is in force.

How voting works today

Voting age
18 and over
Voter registration
Automatic
Identification
Photo ID required
Compulsory voting
No
Postal voting
Not available
Early voting
Not available
Online voting
Not available
Voting from abroad
Available to all

Voters are drawn from the State Voter Register and show an identity document at the polling station. There is no postal or early voting; citizens abroad vote at diplomatic missions. National elections are currently suspended under martial law.

How the franchise changed

Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.

  1. 1918Expansion

    The Ukrainian People’s Republic legislated universal suffrage, including for women, during its brief independence.

  2. 1922Restriction

    Incorporation into the Soviet Union replaced competitive elections with a single approved list.

  3. 1991Expansion

    An independence referendum and the first presidential election of independent Ukraine were held on the same day.

  4. 2004Reform

    The Supreme Court annulled the presidential run-off after finding systematic falsification and ordered a re-vote, which was held in December.

  5. 2019Reform

    A new electoral code moved parliamentary elections to proportional representation with open regional lists.

  6. 2022Restriction

    National elections were suspended under martial law following the full-scale invasion; the constitution requires martial law to be lifted before a vote can be held.

Safeguards on the count

Ballot type
Paper ballots
Post-election audit
Judicial challenge only
Election administration
Independent commission
Domestic observers
Yes
International observers
Yes

Ballots are paper and counted by hand at precinct level, with protocols passed up through district commissions to the Central Election Commission. Courts hear challenges — and in 2004 the Supreme Court used that power to void a national result outright.

Worth knowing

  • The 2004 presidential run-off was annulled by the Supreme Court after it found systematic falsification, and a re-vote was held — one of the few times a national result has been overturned on evidence that the count itself was rigged.
  • No national election has been held since 2022: the constitution bars elections while martial law is in force.

Elections in the database

People

  • CandidateAnatoliy HrytsenkoMinister of Defence of Ukraine, 2005–2009; presidential candidate, 2014
  • CandidateDmytro YaroshLeader of Right Sector; presidential candidate, 2014
  • Party leaderOleh LyashkoLeader of the Radical Party; presidential candidate, 2014
  • Party leaderOleksandr MorozLeader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine; presidential candidate, 2004
  • Head of statePetro PoroshenkoPresident of Ukraine, 2014–2019
  • Party leaderPetro SymonenkoLeader of the Communist Party of Ukraine; presidential candidate, 2004
  • CandidateSerhiy TihipkoPresidential candidate, Ukraine, 2014
  • Head of governmentViktor YanukovychPrime Minister of Ukraine, 2002–2005; President of Ukraine, 2010–2014
  • Head of stateViktor YushchenkoPresident of Ukraine, 2005–2010
  • CandidateYuliya TymoshenkoPrime Minister of Ukraine, 2005 and 2007–2010; presidential candidate, 2014

Sources

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