Poroshenko’s chances rise to win presidential elections on May 25

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) released results of its poll that models presidential elections two weeks before they convene. According to the latest results, 54.7% of those who are going to attend the elections have decided to vote for the candidate Petro Poroshenko. This is 6.3pp improvement compared to an earlier poll convened three weeks ago. Candidate Yulia Tymoshenko is second-runner; she lost 4.4pp in three weeks  – only 9.6% are ready to vote for her, according to KIIS latest research. Between 5% and 7% of potential voters are ready to vote for Serhiy Tihipko, Anatoliy Hrystenko and Oleh Lyashko. 

Alexander Paraschiy: If Petro Poroshenko gains more than 50% of the votes on the May 25 elections, he will be declared president, otherwise the second round of elections will be appointed for June 15. As earlier polls suggest, Poroshenko solidly wins to any competitor in the second round. The logic of those who increasingly support Poroshenko is that “Poroshenko will win in any case, should it be in one round, or in two. So, why should we wait three more weeks to vote in the second round and put Ukraine under new risks?” A three-week delay in election of the president is considered as an additional risk for the country by many citizens, including the risk of more aggression from the Russian side. Therefore, we believe that an early election of a new president will indeed decrease risks for Ukraine.