2010 Ukrainian presidential election

Ukrainian presidential election, 2010

← 2004 17 January and 7 February 2010 2014 →
Nominee Viktor Yanukovych Yulia Tymoshenko Party Party of Regions Fatherland Popular vote 12,481,266 11,593,357 Percentage 48.95% 45.47%
Results of the February 7 run-off.
President before election Viktor Yushchenko Our Ukraine Elected President Viktor Yanukovych Party of Regions

Viktor Yushchenko
Our Ukraine

Viktor Yanukovych
Party of Regions

The Ukrainian presidential election of 2010 was Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010. The run-off between Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych followed on February 7, 2010.

On February 14, Viktor Yanukovych, with 48.95% of the popular vote, was declared President-elect and winner of the 2010 Ukrainian Presidential election. According to , the President must be sworn into office within 30 days from the official declaration of the poll before the Ukrainian parliament. The Ukrainian Parliament scheduled Yanukovych's inauguration for February 25.

On February 17, 2010, the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine, suspended the results of the election on appeal from Tymoshenko. The court suspended the Central Election Commission of Ukraine ruling that announced that Viktor Yanukovych won the election, but did not postpone or cancel Yanukovych's inauguration. On February 20, Tymoshenko withdrew her appeal.

Early-vote returns from the first round of the election held on 17 January showed Yanukovych in first place with 35.8% of the vote. He faced a 7 February 2010 runoff against Tymoshenko, who finished second (with 24.7% of the vote).

Analysts predicted a slight advantage for Tymoshenko in the second (and final) round as she was more likely to attract voters from the other 16 candidates who did not proceed to the second round. Viktor Yanukovych refused to hold debates with his opponent before the second round of voting, saying Yulia Tymoshenko should either take responsibility for every word as prime minister, or go to the kitchen. After all ballots were counted, the Ukrainian Central Election Commission declared that Yanukovych won the election with 48.95% of the vote compared with 45.47% for Tymoshenko.Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc members immediately claimed that there was systematic and large-scale vote rigging in this run-off.