Ukraine Elections : Runners And Risks

Ukrainian voters will head to the polls on May 25th to elect a successor to deposed President Viktor Yanukovych

Continuing violence involving Pro Russian militants in the Eastern parts of the country poses a major threat to the campaign , but if held successfully , the election could become a turning point in the long running crisis

The Ukrainian government is sparing no effort to enable th election to take place , it has admitted , however , that it may not be possiable to hold the poll in territories controlled by Pro Russian groups in the East , the latter have vowed to thwart the vote , and there have been reports of election officials being intimidated and electoral commission offices being taken over by Pro Russian activitists in Eastern Ukraine

In Crimea which was annexed by Russia in March , there will be no voting

There is no minimum requirement , if none of the candidates more than 50% of the vote , a run off between the two top contenders will be held on June 15th

Billionaire Petro Poroshenko is the front runner , with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenkon trailing behind

Mr. Poroshenko is a confectionery tycoon , known as the "chocolate king" , he also owns the  popular news channel 5 kanal , he has endorsed by prominent politican Yuriy Lutsenko , a former interior minister , as well as by boxing champion turned politician Vitally Klitschko

Mr. Poroshenko's election manifesto promises to devote more authority to the regions , in an apparent attempt to calm tensions in the East , at the same time it vows to preserve Ukraine as a unitary state

Former Prime Minister Mrs. Tymoshenko , a polarising but charismatic figure , is a fierce critic of former President Viktor Yanukovych , she was jailed during his time in office , in a move widely condemned as politically motivated , but released after he was ousted

In her campaign , Mrs. Tymoshenko has called Russian President Vladimir Putin Ukraine's "enemy number one " she promises to reduce Ukraine's dependence on itt's "hostile" neighbour , particulary in the energy sector

Initially 23 candidates were registered , but five have withdrawn from the race , they include Pro Russian M.P. Oleh Tsaryov and communist party leader Petro Sumonenko , who complained of harassment by the new government in Kiev

Those still taking part in the election include Dmytro Ysrosh , who is wanted in Russia on terrorism charges , he is the leader of the ultra nationalist party right sector , which was instrumental in President Yanukovych's overthrow

The ruling party under Viktor Yanukovych , the Party of Regions , nominated former Kharkiv mayor and govenor Mykhaylo Dobkin as its candidate , but M.P. Serhiy Tyhypko , who was recently expelled from the party is also running

Officials in Russia and opponents of the government in Kiev say it seized power by toppling the elected President and therefore illegitimate there is hope that , once interim President Oleksandr Turchnov is replaced with an elected one , the Ukrainian authorities will gain more legitimacy and trust necessary to put an end to months of upheaval

However Presidential powers were significanyly reduced after Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine , the next President will be able to nominate foreign and defence ministers , as well as the country's top proscuter and the head of the security service , for parliamentary approval , the rest of the cabinet wwill be appointed by M.P.'s

The President can no longer dismiss the cabinet , but retains the power to disolve parliament

Russia has condemned what it calls Ukraine's "punitive operaation" against Russian speakers , and has questioned the wisdom of holding an election while unrest continues

Despite that , Russian President Vladimir Putin , has said publicly that the election is " a step in the right direction"

But both Kiev and the West have accused Moscow of stoking the tensions in Ukraine , the suspicion is that the Kremlin might try to torpedo the election in an effort to weaken Kiev , and boost Russia's waning influence over it's neighbour

"If we see the disruptions and the destabilisation continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25th , we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional more severe sanctions (against Russia) U.S.President Barac Obama said